Bohemian Idiot
by Color With Marker
Summary: Same Bohos. Different musical.
1. Bohemian Idiot

The sounds of crackling fires and police sirens rang around the Lower East Village. On the corner of Avenue B and eleventh street, an old music publishing factory stands, the bricks washed out and the inside of the building slowly falling apart. On the top floor, three friends live together. They are fortunate to have the biggest apartment in their area of New York City. Inside is a philosophical anarchist, a very angst-filled failed musician, and an over-dramatic diva. Out of the three, the two men are HIV-positive, and the third (in the musician's opinion), "Annoys the living hell out of (him) so that (he'll) take (his) AZT and be around longer to tell (her) that (she) doesn't look fat in those leather pants." They're Thomas Collins, Roger Davis, and Maureen Johnson. The floor below them is the home to Roger's girlfriend, the HIV-positive, semi-recovering heroin addict, S&M dancer Mimi Marquez. They're all dirt-broke, hungry, and, as of right now, thanks to their landlord-slash-ex-roommate, Benjamin Coffin III, freezing their asses off. It was just after Christmas, and the four Bohemians were listening to yet _another_ screened call from Benny.

"_... and I can offer you all great jobs at the new cyber studio we're opening up within the next year. The pay is decent, so maybe you can finally pay this past year's rent, which, you know, you still owe me. I'll be there soon for it. Let me know about that jobs. Corporate America is knocking on your door. Open it up. Maybe you can finally afford to have a TV in the loft with a new flow._"

It was Roger who spoke first. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked.

"That's some bullshit right there," Mimi agreed. "I'm gonna go get ready for work before he shows up at your door." She kissed Roger's cheek and sauntered out the door. Maureen made sure Roger wasn't paying attention before quickly staring at his girlfriend's ass.

"How much time to you give before he shows up?" she asked.

The phone rang.

"Depends on whether or not he has a key on him," Collins responded.

"Screw this. Screw Benny and his corporate America." Maureen stormed out of the loft. She ascended the stairs to the roof of their building. She looked over the edge to see Benny looking up at her.

"Hey there, Mo!" he called up.

"Only my friends can call me Mo!" Maureen shouted at him.

"What the hell do you want, Benny?" Roger asked. He and Collins had climbed out onto the fire escape. Roger was right outside Mimi's window, while Collins stood above him.

"I want to talk peacefully to you guys," Benny said.

"About you wanting us to work for you and your father-in-law?" Collins scoffed. "When Hell freezes over."

"I don't know about you guys, but this place is Hell, and it's pretty frigid here." Benny chuckled to himself. "Come on down."

Maureen let out a deafening shriek in response. If there was anything she hated as much as the freezing cold New York winters and her family, it was Benny.

"_I wanna be a Bohemian Idiot!_" she sang. "_I want a nation without any media!_"

"You're being overdramatic," Benny said.

"_Hey, can you see the eviction notices?_" Collins added.

"Well at least Roger can act decent-"

"_Thanks to our dumbfuck landlord!_" Roger spat.

"Spoke too soon."

"_Welcome to a new kind of Bohemia,_" the three friends sang. "_All across of New York City, where nothing will ever be the same. Crackpot theories of nowadays reminding us that we might not be okay, and we can't try to argue!_"

The trio decided to go downstairs anyway. They circled around Benny.

"What do you really want?" Maureen asked.

"You heard my voicemail by the looks of things," Benny replied. "And I'm serious about it."

"You don't belong here," Collins said. "You stick out like a sore thumb."

"And it looks like we're not the only ones you pissed off," Roger added with a smirk. Slowly, other poor and homeless people saw who was in their midst and surrounded him as well. Mimi snaked through the other Bohemians and stood with her boyfriend.

"You don't understand, do you?" Benny laughed. He cleared his throat and sang, "_I used to be a part of Bohemia. Now I'm a part of a corporate agenda. End your stupid protests and propaganda and mature like the rest of America!_" His response was roars of laughter from those who hated him.

"_Welcome to a new kind of Bohemia,_" they sang. "_All across of New York City, where nothing will ever be the same. Crackpot theories of nowadays reminding us that we might not be okay, and we can't try to argue!_"

"I need last year's rent, which you still owe me," Benny said.

"How can we pay last year's rent?" Mimi asked.

"Well, if you have no problem taking your clothes off for people to stuff money in your straps, then why not give me the money you make?"

"Prick!"

All of the Bohemians screamed in Benny's face and threw garbage at him. He tried to use his hands to shield himself.

"_I wanna be a Bohemian idiot,_" Maureen sang.

"_One nation ignored by the media_," Collins vocalized

"_Alleys crawling with junkies and artists_," Roger chanted.

"_Are hidden from the rest of America,_" everyone around Benny harmonized. "_Welcome to a new kind of Bohemia, all across New York City, where nothing will ever be the same. Crackpot theories of nowadays reminding us that we might not be okay, and we can't try to argue!_"

At the same speed they appeared, the Bohemians vanished back to their hiding spots, each one shouting obscenities at the landlord as they did. Mimi gave Roger another kiss before dancing her way to work. This left the original four alone again.

"Well?" Benny asked.

"No," Maureen answered.

"No to...?"

"Everything. No job offer. No rent. No."

"Fine. I'll be seeing you guys soon to collect the rent." Benny climbed back into his Range Rover and drove off.

"We're not gonna see him for a while, are we?" Roger asked.

Maureen and Collins shook their heads before they all went back inside.


	2. Jesus of Bohemia

"To the new year!" Maureen and Collins cried out as they downed another shot of liquor.

"I meant to ask," Maureen said with a hiccup, "where do you score all of this pot?"

"It's one of the very few benefits of dying from AIDS," Collins replied as he pulled out a small baggie of cannabis from his jean pocket. "The government feels bad, so those millionaire bastards give us all the weed they can pull out of their asses!" For some reason, this was the funniest joke of the year so far, because they were rolling on the floor with laughter.

"Holy shit, I love you man!" Maureen said with a giggle. She kissed Collins on the cheek.

"Ew, cooties!" The anarchist tried to wipe away the saliva still on his cheek. "Mo, you know I'm not into girls!"

"Aw, but what if I wasn't really a girl?" The diva grinned and inched closer to her friend. "What if I was a guy all along, dressed like and pretending to be a girl?"

"Then go and piss on the wall standing up."

"... Damn, you got me there."

Collins laughed again. "Alright girl, I'm gonna finish rolling these joints, and then we'll meet Roger at the Life, okay?"

"Sure," Maureen giggled. "It's another great day for drugs!"

"It always is."

"And maybe we'll find someone to sleep with."

"You always do, Mo."

"And don't you forget it!" The drama queen took another shot and jumped up on the couch, belting, "_I'm the child of sex and drugs! The Jesus of Bohemia! From the Bible thrown out of the loft on an unsteady diet of... Captain Crunch and Stoli! No one ever lasted love with me no longer than a month - at least the ones that lasted more than a day..._" Maureen hopped to the other side of Collins before sitting down again. "_Yet you'd think there's something wrong with me. This is who I will always be in a land of vanquished dreams that cannot be revived!_"

"Okay, I think you've had a little too much to drink," Collins said. He tried to pry the bottle from Maureen's hands, but she wouldn't let it go.

"But Collins," she whined, "are you not listening to me? It's all the truth! It's all about the truth! I mean, we're in New York, dammit!"

"You're right." Collins knew better than to argue with Maureen of all people. He tucked a joint behind his ears and sang, "_Watching junkies get their fix._"

Maureen smiled and hugged him. "_Falling to their drugs' old trick from my living room while I assume-_"

"_Half of these kids are runaways. Who fall in love-_"

"_And fall in debt to alcohol-_"

"_And smack, I guess, and HIV_-"

"_To kill everybody-_"

"_If we have sex or share needles._"

They stood up and headed out of the loft. Collins grabbed the keys as he did. They both descended the staircase, singing, "_Yet you'd think there's something wrong with me. This is who I will always be in a land of vanquished dreams that cannot be revived!_"

* * *

Roger sat at the bar with a mug of beer on the counter in front of him. It was another new year. Ho ho ho or whatever people say during the beginning of the new calender. He was going to spend the day with Mimi, but she'd been acting really moody, so he chose to ignore her for now. He'd let her cool off on her own rather than pester her and make her feel worse. So now he was getting drunk on his own.

"_In the heart of the East Village in the restaurant,_" he sang softly. "_At the Life Café where I was taught The Man tells us all lies. He says it will make you feel better. And you think it's alright cause everyone is higher than a kite. It's only a matter of time._" He put a five dollar bill on the counter (he'd found it on the sidewalk in some crunched snow). He could see The Man across the street, the nameless and ruthless drug lord of the Bohemian world. Many younger people were gathered around, desperate for a hit. They were shamelessly shooting up out in the open. They were padding around like zombies. It was depressing.

"_City of the dead,_" Roger hymned. "_The beginning of this new epidemic. Ending with everyone six feet under. City of the sick. Lost children with weak immunities. The rest of the world doesn't seem to care._"

"Hey, you got a dollar?" a young Asian girl with a large knit cap begged. Her eyes pleaded him to give her some kind of green bill. However, he could only shake his head. The girl pouted. He just moved around her and walked away slowly.

"_I saw the warnings luring in their eyes like their secret selves were screaming inside,_" Roger continued. "_Yet they choose to wait to confess. They didn't say much but they did confirm that they were addicted all along. I know because I used to be too._"

Roger was glad that he'd moved on from the drug addiction chapter of his life. It was because of his dead ex-girlfriend, April, who insisted that they share needles. She ended up slitting her wrists in the bathroom. Roger detoxed and overcame his struggles. He even did the same for Mimi when he found out she used heroin.

"_City of the dead. The beginning of this new epidemic. Ending with everyone six feet under. City of the sick. Lost children with weak immunities. The rest of the world doesn't seem to care._"

"Hey, look who it is!" An arm wrapped around Roger from behind. "It's fuckface!"

"Collins, you're drunk," Roger said.

"And you're sober."

"Great comeback."

"Collins just rolled up some joints!" Maureen exclaimed. "Come on, let's go get high!"

"Follow The Man!" a teenage boy shouted. He and about a dozen others followed the tall man toward the park.

"Was I like them?" Roger asked. "Did I chase some random guy around just for a hit."

"Sadly, yes," Maureen replied.

"Just don't go chasing after the devil, okay, White Boy?" Collins grabbed Roger's head and gave him a noogie. The musician pushed his friend off of him.

"_I won't go if you don't,_" Maureen sang. Collins joined her and repeated, "_I won't go if you don't. I won't go with you don't go._" They repeated it three more times to Roger, who laughed and rolled his eyes.

"_I won't go_," he chirped to make them happy. They walked down the street toward their home.

"_Everyone looks so... everyone looks so... everyone looks so..._" Maureen muttered.

"_Everyone looks so..._?" Roger asked.

"_Everyone looks so pale and sick, all of them homeless or an addict._"

Roger nodded in agreement. "_Thugs mugging us left and right... our futures don't seem too bright._"

"_They're the kids of overbearing Moms and Dads,_" Collins pointed out, being the philosopher he was. "_Driving them here after driving them mad._"

"_We're the scum of America - of the Jesus of Bohemia!_" the trio chanted. "_Land of disbelief and no one believes me. Land of disbelief and I won't leave. And I won't go! I won't go! I won't go..._"

* * *

Mimi sat on her toilet, her eyes glued to the white stick in her hands. Two pink lines. Two thick pink lines, meaning the one thing that she had feared. She was pregnant. At least it was Roger's kid. She couldn't abort it; not only was it something she was against, but it was too late for her to get one. She was nearly three months late. Why was she in denial for so long? How was Roger going to react?

Suddenly, she could hear _Musetta's Waltz_. Holy shit, did she hate that song by now. It was all he played. Hopefully their kid wouldn't have the same ability to play guitar.

"_Roger, baby, will you stop playing?_" she crooned through the bathroom door. "_I can't hear myself over Musetta's Waltz. Can you play another chord or just that one song? Maybe that's why you're always so high-strung._"

She exitted the bathroom to see that he wasn't even inside. However, it was freezing in her tiny apartment. She grabbed her blue sweater and threw it over her shoulders. A half-melted candle was laying on the kitchen table. Mimi smiled to herself and thought about the first time she had met Roger. She picked up the candle and put on a fake pout.

"_Oh, Roger, baby, would you light my candle? The heat is turned off again and I am freezing cold. Benny knows that we already live with starvation, but if I have a baby, do you think he'd make an exception?_"

She dropped the candle and it rolled under the table. "Shit," she cursed under her breath. She got on her hands and knees and reached for it.

"Mimi, you really do have the best ass below Fourteenth Street."

The new voice scared Mimi and it caused her to hit her head on the corner of the table. "Ow!" she cried. She got back to her feet and looked to see Maureen in the doorway.

"Sorry, Meems," she said with a shrug. "We just got back. We're wasted and stoned and... something else... shit. Well, we just made Roger stop playing his guitar. You wanna... Collins just rolled some joints and we're gonna go get Roger and get wasted and stoned."

"Really now?" Mimi knew that a wasted Maureen was a very forgetful Maureen.

"Yeah, I gotta go roll some joints with Collins now so we can celebrate New Years Day tomorrow. Wanna play spin the bottle with us and Roger now?"

"Sure, I'll be there shortly."

Maureen shrugged and left the apartment. When the door shut, Mimi picked up the pregnancy test again and studied it some more.

* * *

"Oh yeah, pucker up!" Maureen crowed. Collins glared at the bottle, which was pointing right at him, and leaned over to kiss Roger's chapped lips. Both men grimaced and the anarchist spun the bottle again. It landed on Roger.

"What the hell!" they both cried.

"Roggie, I never knew you swung the other team," Maureen slurred.

"Don't call me Roggie," Roger said after giving Collins a quick peck on the lips again. "And I call that we don't do anything else until Mimi shows up."

"Fine." After a few seconds of silence, Maureen asked, "What's your wishes for this year?"

"I dunno," Collins replied. "Get a decent job so we can buy more booze?" He grabbed a bottle from the table and drank from it.

"To finish a song," Roger said. "What'ah... Whaddah 'bout chu?"

"I, my, Mo's resolution... she, I don't wanna know," Maureen stuttered. "To do absolutely nothing? Keep everything the same, you know. Everything's all good."

"_To think and not to speak,_" Collins sang. "_Would be a tragedy._"

"But what we all have now is good!"

"_To leave, to go away,_" Roger sang. "_To find that one song._"

"Are you still talking about Santa Fe?"

"_And I'd leave behind my friend, all of these fucked-up guys,_" Roger and Collins chanted. They gave Maureen a look.

"You guys go ahead and leave," she said. "_I gained control of this, this town where only we exist. When you go, I'll stay behind, to make sure we're not expelled by Benny. And I will stand by my friends, all of these fucked-up guys. And I protest again for the millionth and first fucking time. You bet your ass this time!_"

There was a knock on the window. They looked to see Mimi gently push it open. She smiled at them with her doe eyes and held out a white stick. Roger paled when he saw it.

"_I feel so much shame, but at least I'm detoxified,_" the Latina said with tears in her eyes. "_Now there's nowhere left for us to go. Acting innocent because we've all been victimized. Tales from a broken-down loft..._"

Mimi walked up to Roger. He stood and gently put the palms of his hands against her belly.

"_You're having... you're having... you're having..._" Roger gulped nervously. "_We're having a baby..._?"


	3. Pay-Day

None of them had heard from Benny again until mid-January. Mimi, who was now halfway through her pregnancy, finally began showing. Roger was still a bit freaked out by this, but by now he was coming around to it. He was thrilled to have "a mini guitar prodigy" as a child (in his own words). When he had said that, Collins mocked him, asking, "What was so great that you've done?" It was said in a joking manner, but they knew that Collins thought that Roger's career as a pretty-boy frontman was nothing but crap.

Meanwhile, Benny was knocking on their door.

"Who the fuck is there?" Maureen shouted. It was noon; none of them were ever up this early.

"Benny."

"Piss off!"

"Just open the door."

"Why should I?"

"Because I'm out here and I'd rather not stand next to Benny!" Mimi screeched through the door. It was a good enough reason for Maureen to open the door, so she did so. Mimi walked in with her hands resting on her growing belly. Benny stared at her.

"She's pregnant?" he asked.

"Oh, before I forget, Benjamin," Mimi said, "I think you should turn on the heat before you have to deal with a very moody and _very_ cranky pregnant girl kicking your ass."

"If you're pregnant, then how are you going to pay the rent?" the yuppie scum retorted.

"I'm a waitress at the Cat Scratch Club for now until I have the baby and melt off the weight I've gained because of it." The dancer smiled smugly at the slumlord.

"Hey babe," Roger greeted his girlfriend as he walked into the room with Collins.

"What the hell are you doing here man?" Collins asked Benny.

"You know why I'm here," Benny replied. "I need the rent, and if you're going to repeatedly refuse to get a job, then I'm going to have to ask again that you work for my investor-"

"You mean your father-in-law?" Roger spat.

"... Right, well, it's a good paying job and it'll put food on your table and alcohol in the pantry."

"We don't need your charity," Maureen said icily.

"And for the record, two of us have jobs," Collins pointed out. "Mimi's a dancer - well, a waitress now - and I'm a teacher at NYU. Just because we don't wear suits and kiss ass to a bunch of WASPs doesn't mean that we don't have good jobs."

"Then if you have such good jobs, why haven't you paid the rent in thirteen months?" Benny asked.

"Because fuck you, that's why."

"Real nice, Collins."

"Why don't you understand that we aren't going to pay?" Maureen asked.

"Pay what?"

"_Pay Rent!_"

"Oh, Jesus!" Benny groaned. He tried to leave, but Maureen yanked him by his jacket and blocked his exit.

"_Take a look at the unemployment train_," she sang. "_Dreams of jobs are going up in flames. The pain, the ones who live with nothing to their names._"

Roger chimed in while playing his guitar, "_Here my guitar playing out of key. Musetta's Waltz makes me feel nothing but pity._"

"_You see_," Collins hummed in Mimi's ear, "_He just can't find that one song to play._"

They all pushed Benny back from the door and onto the couch. "_We won't make a living under our new society's lies as they constantly put pressure down on our lives on our pay-day!_"

Mimi sat down next to Benny and put her head on his shoulder. "_Hear the pickle tubs banging on the ground,_" she sang. "_Another protester brings the cops around to find another riot that they can start._"

Just then, three beepers sounded, the ringing echoing through the apartment.

"_It's time for an AZT break!_" Roger shouted. "_We're all gonna need some water so we can take a pill, so that way we won't have to die._"

Benny was about to use this chance to escape, but he was pushed back onto the couch.

"_We won't make a living under our new society's lies,_" they all sang right in his face. "_As they constantly put pressure down on our lives on our pay-day!_"

Collins, Roger, and Mimi each turned off their beepers and took out tiny orange bottles of pills. Mimi swallowed hers dry while Collins and Roger decided to grab a glass of water first. The dancer cleared off the round coffee table in front of Benny and helped Maureen stand on it.

"The representative from the East Village has the stage," she announced.

"_Bow down to the bulldog Benny_," she chanted. "_Paying up is our punishment! Clearing out the vacant lots while we curse the government! Pay! Pay! Cries the yuppie scum. He'll kill the fags that don't obey. Papers flying, set on fire, letting him know he's not getting the rent today. He knows, he knows that we're all squatters here!_" She jumped down into Collins' arms. He put her down gently. Roger and Mimi crowded around Benny with them.

"_We won't make a living under our new society's lies! As they constantly put pressure down on our lives! We won't make a living under our new society's lies as they constantly put pressure down on our lives! We won't pay rent without a pay-day!_"

"Did we make that clear enough for you?" Maureen asked sweetly.

Benny ran around them and right out the door. They took it that he finally got the message - they weren't paying the rent anytime soon.


	4. Avenue of Broken Dreams

Maureen hated being the third wheel. It was way up on her list of things she hated. She hated going out to a bar with Roger and Mimi only to feel uncomfortable. She wasn't even the pregnant girl there, yet she was the odd one out. Roger didn't want to have a shots contest because he needed to be sober enough to be around Mimi. Said pregnant girl thought he was so sweet and kissed him all night. Eventually, they left, "so the baby can get rest." Maureen wished that the baby wouldn't have been made sometimes. It had changed her friends. The only thing she liked about it was that it convinced Benny to turn the heat back on. Meanwhile, Collins was stuck at NYU grading essays by couch potatoes. Maureen paid for one last beer before starting her long walk home. Outside was freezing, and her leather jacket wasn't keeping her warm. She could hear a fight taking place, and in her heart, she knew what she was supposed to do, but her brain reminded her that a woman of her size was bound to get killed. She just quickened her pace.

"_I walk a dangerous path,_" she sang to herself as she shivered. "_One covered in syringes and broken glass. We all know where it goes, and it's home to me as I'm all alone._"

Police cars sped by. Each came to a screeching halt right by the alley where the brawl was taking place. Maureen told herself to keep walking as she shivered.

"_I live between A and B on the Avenue of broken dreams,_" she continued. "_Where the junkies creep, and I'm the negative one and I'm all alone. I'm all alone, I'm all alone. I'm all alone, I'm all ah..._"

No. She couldn't admit that she was alone. She was Maureen Johnson, dammit! She was the heartbreaker of the Lower East Side. It was her job to rake in men left and right, along with the occasional woman if she had one too many drinks on a special evening. She was used to being in a relationship while Collins was in between guys, or Roger and Mimi were fighting and both single momentarily. This wasn't Maureen's forte.

"_My shadow's the only one that's not shaking._" From disease, she reminded herself as her skinny frame shook. "_My body's the only one that's not aching. Sometimes I wish my friends aren't dying, 'cause then I'll be all alone._"

Maureen decided to take a shortcut. She looked around before sneaking into the Eleventh Street lot. It was her favorite hiding place. It was just her and her thoughts here. Sure, this was home to Tent City, but now they were all asleep. Maureen climbed to the top on the catwalk that went around the walls and looked below at the sleeping homeless people.

"_I'm walking through the lot that makes me wish I had something more than pot. I'm on the edge of my sanity because I'm all alone._"

Maureen checked her pocket. She smiled and silently thanks Collins for rolling a joint for her this morning.

"_Can't you see outside? We're all fucked up and nothing is alright in this nightmare of mine, where no matter what I'll end up all alone. I'm all alone, I'm all alone. I'm all alone, I'm all ah..._"

After locating a small book of matches, she lit up and sucked on the soothing blunt. It was just what she needed to take the edge off of the pressure of life.

"_My shadow's the only one that's not shaking. My body's the only one that's not aching. Sometimes I wish my friends aren't dying, 'cause then I'll be all alone._"

She continued smoking it until it became a tiny stub.

"_I'm all alone, I'm all ah..._" she hummed to herself as she stamped out the last of her joint. She made her way downstairs and saw that one person wasn't entirely asleep. In fact, he was just walking through with his camera, filming the homeless. He had blonde hair, thick glasses, gorgeous blue eyes, and skin paler than hers. A blue-and-white striped scarf was wrapped tight around his neck. He turned his camera around to get one last take of the lot before the little spinning handle stopped.

"_I live between A and B on the Avenue of broken dreams,_" he sang. Maureen was entranced by his melodic voice. "_Where the junkies creep and I'm the clean one and that makes me alone._"

Maureen jumped onto the ground. This caught the man's attention. He spun to face her. They became lost in each other's eyes.

"_Our shadow's the only ones that aren't shaking_," they sang together. "_Our body's the only ones that aren't aching. Sometimes we wish our friends weren't dying, 'cause then we'll be all alone._"

Tent City all rose to their feet, chanting, "_I'm all alone_," while Maureen and this new person walked toward each other.

"_City of the dead,_" Maureen sang. "_City of the sick._"

"_City of the sick_," the man repeated, a shy smile growing on his face. "_The rest of the world doesn't seem to care!_"

"_I walk alone!_" everyone chanted.

"I'm Maureen," the diva introduced herself.

"Mark," the filmmaker responded.

"Well, Mark, would you like to come to my apartment?"

"I dunno..."

"C'mon, I won't bite... unless you're into that." Maureen winked. As usual, her charm won him over, and he let out a hearty laugh.

"Alright, Maureen, you win," Mark said.

"Good, because we just got the heat turned back on, and I wouldn't want it to go to waste. Plus, I _love_ sleepovers." Maureen snaked her hand into Mark's and led her new friend back to her loft.


	5. Favorite Teacher

"This really is some good shit," Collins said with a yawn. "Damn, where'd this come from?"

"An angel," Roger responded. "An angel came down from heaven." He took the blunt from Collins' hands.

"Was he beautiful?"

"Yeah, she was fucking sexy."

"Who're you calling 'fucking sexy'?" Mimi asked as she walked in with Maureen.

"The angel who came down and brought us this good weed," Roger said. "And damn, was she fine."

"No, this angel is a boy," Collins said. He waved his hand at the air. "And he is the most beautiful boy ever."

"This boy must be special," Maureen teased. She rubbed Collins' head through his cap.

"Dream all you want Thomas, because this angel is a total girl," Roger claimed.

"I will dream," Collins said. "I'm tired anyway."

"Then you can take a nap and we'll smoke this weed and get drunk on vodka," Maureen said.

"Or water," Mimi emphasized as she held up a plastic bottle.

Maureen shrugged and grabbed a bottle of Stoli. Roger held the lighter and joint up to his mouth. Collins had already dozed off.

* * *

The anarchist opened his eyes and found himself floating through the sky. He soared through the clouds, the wind in his face. There was nothing but blue around him. He didn't know how much he smoked, but it obviously wasn't as good as he thought it was. But he was definitely flying. He looked over to see that he wasn't alone. A beautiful boy with caramel skin - an _angel_ - was holding his hand and flying beside him. He looked over and smiled. Collins wanted to say something impressive, but couldn't find anything intelligible to tell this stranger. Instead he let the boy take them inside a building. He was dropped off right outside two doors with a white light shining through the glass. He stepped inside and saw the boy again, sitting at a table in a library with a pile of books and papers.

"_He hit the books at midnight with nothing but the moonlight,_" he sang. "_He woke up to the sunlight with three more pages to write._ _You're their favorite teacher. You're their favorite teacher._"

Collins blinked and rubbed his eyes. Now he was in a lecture hall. His angel was sitting down in the middle of the room, a dull expression on his face.

"_Learning about Socrates is such a bore,_" he said with a little yawn. Collins resisted from calling this cute. "_Teaching Computer-Age Philosophy - now that's a total score! You're their favorite teacher. You're their favorite teacher._"

Now other kids flooded the room. They were throwing balled-up papers or gossiping or tossing random sports balls. The boy dodged all of this as he climbed down the rows of seats and desks.

"_But it's a pain in the ass_," he sang. "_It's a pain in the ass. It's a pain in the ass. It's a really fun class, but it's a pain in the ass._ _A bunch of nerdy teens or a handful of whores, even if they're new on the scene, it's never a bore! You're their favorite teacher. You're their favorite teacher._"

The angel walked behind Collins and covered his eyes with his lovely hands. When they were moved away, they were outside. Some guys were playing Ultimate Frisbee. Others were playing guitars and singing random songs. It was the one thing he hated about college campuses; the outsides were all the same.

"_But it's a pain in the ass,_" the boy sang. A frisbee flew over their heads. "_It's a pain in the ass. It's a pain in the ass. It's a really fun class, but it's a pain in the ass._" The angel jumped on top of a brick wall. "_Well we know it's not all a-okay. They'll learn how hard it is to pass with an A._" He jumped over Collins. The professor turned to see that they were in a dorm room now, sitting on a twin bed. The boy was sitting at the other end of it."_Now where the fuck are you?_" the angel shouted. Collins was taken aback for a moment. "_On a bed in NYC. Collins, your rent is way over due, come here and you'll see! You're their favorite teacher._" The angel crawled closer as he sang. "_You're their favorite teacher. You're their favorite teacher. You're their favorite teacher..._"

He smiled before placing his lips gently against Collins'.


	6. No Longer Waiting

Collins woke up with a loud snort. Maureen was sprawled out on the chair. Roger was passed out drunk on the floor. Mimi, however, was wide awake. She smiled and looked at her friend.

"Did you have a nice nap?" she asked.

"Hell yeah," Collins answered. "I don't know what I bought, but it's really good."

"I can tell. You were talking. Maureen was talking about bringing over some guy she'd just met who had a camera to record your conversation."

"What was I saying?"

"You kept on saying 'angel' and 'teacher', and I swear you moaned, 'You taste heavenly,'" Mimi said. "Were you having a wet dream or something?"

"Nope," Collins giggled. "But there was my angel. And _he_ was really sexy."

"Sounds wonderful." Mimi motioned for Collins to help her get to her feet. He got up and did so. "Thanks. Now I can go pee!" The pregnant dancer waddled her way to the bathroom. Collins nodded and looked back at his friends. Maureen was snoring now. Roger rolled over, drool crusted to his face.

"_I sit at home and let AIDS take over me,_" Collins sang. "_Life Support doesn't help as much as I thought. Am I, I am, am I, I am no longer waiting alone. This diseased town is dying every day-_"

The phone rang. Rather than let it screen, Collins answered it. "Hello?"

"Thomas! It me!" the dean of NYU said cheerfully.

"Good afternoon sir."

"Listen, I've got some really exciting news for you. I just talked to the dean over at MIT. He was so impressed with your latest work that he wants you to become a professor there! I know it's better than here, and although we'd regret losing you as a teacher, they could really use a new, young face to attract more attention to the philosophical world. Huh, Thomas? What do you think?"

Collins thought about it for a moment. In his dream, he remembered the background of his dream had the same three letters everywhere: MIT. It was a sign. The angel was telling him to go to MIT all along. No matter how seductive and attractive Collins thought he was, he was also pointing him toward his future.

"I'll take it!" he cried.

"Congratulations, Thomas. They expect you there to be there by eight in the morning in two days. Good luck with your future."

Collins hung up the phone and grinned. "_I'm MIT bound so get out of my way - I'm leaving!_" he sang. "_Am I, I am, am I, I am no longer waiting - I'm leaving! Am I, I am, am I, I am no longer waiting - I'm leaving!_"

He ran into his bedroom and pulled out the only suitcase he had. Because he had little to his name, it didn't take long for Collins to gather all of his belongings in one bag. He went out into the living room to share the good news.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "Guess what?"

"Not now, Collins," Roger said. "I have to take Mimi to the baby doctor."

"And I'm meeting up with this guy I met," Maureen added.

"Who's he this week?"

"Oh, why don't you take that question and shove it up your ass, pretty boy!" The two continued bickering as they walked out the door. Mimi followed, waving goodbye as she did. Collins sighed and located a pen and some paper. He wrote a note about where he was going, just in case they worried about his sudden disappearance.

"_Maureen runs off and Roger hides with Mimi every day,_" he sang to himself. "_I can stay alone or go and find my way. Am I, I am, am I, I am no longer waiting alone. The wage is good, so it'll get me on my feet. If all else fails, I'll go to Santa Fe in defeat. I'm leaving!_"

Collins signed his name and grabbed his suitcase. He ran out the door and walked down toward the nearest bus station.

"_Am I, I am, am I, I am no longer waiting - I'm leaving! Am I, I am, am I, I am no longer waiting alone._"

A bus came by. Collins boarded it as sat in one of the middle seats. The bus was mostly empty with the exception of a few young adults and an older woman with groceries.

"_Am I, I am, am I, I am no longer waiting - I'm leaving! Am I, I am, am I, I am no longer waiting alone. Am I, I am, am I, I am no longer waiting alone - I'm leaving! I'm leaving! I'm leaving..._"

He wondered if his angel would be at MIT too.


	7. Joanne

"Can you believe that we've been together nearly three months?" Mark asked Maureen. He held her hand in his and kissed the back of it. The diva giggled.

"I'm still waiting to wake up from this dream that I have the most perfect guy in my life," Maureen replied.

When Maureen had come home to introduce Mark to her friends, she found Collins' note. It was almost surreal; her best friend in the world was gone now. Sure, she had Roger too, but Roger was always at Mimi's side ever since she became pregnant. So she convinced Mark to move in immediately. She wouldn't be able to cope without him there to take her mind off of Collins' absence. Mark agreed. It was better than being homeless, and there was heat, power (through a very long extension cord, of course), and even booze. He and Roger became best friends immediately. And now, the two of them and Maureen were at the Life for Mimi's "surprise" baby shower (Roger wasn't the best at keeping secrets, especially from Mimi).

"Who's all coming?" Maureen asked.

"A few people," Roger answered. "Of course, Collins can't make it. Says he's gotta work on lesson plans and shit."

"Boo," the diva pouted.

"He'll make it here for Jonathan's birth," Mark assured her. "I know it." After much debate, Roger and Mimi chose the name Jonathan, as much as Roger wanted his new son to be named after himself. He quickly agreed with Mimi when she threatened to make their son's middle name Benjamin.

"There's strippers coming, so try to make sure they keep their clothes on," Roger continued. "And make sure that Maureen keeps her clothes on too." He gave her a look.

"What'd I do?" she cried.

"At Mimi's birthday party last year, you and Candy stripped to nothing and went streaking on the roof. Do you know how awkward it was for Collins to try to hold you down so we could redress you?"

"So, what you mean to say is keep Mo sober?" Mark teased. When his girlfriend glared at him, he covered up his statement with, "I'm sorry. I love you babe."

"I love you too." She kissed his lips and leaned her head against on his shoulder. "So, other than strippers, who else is coming."

"Oh, I just remembered who else!" Roger grinned. "The unofficial lawyer for the Cat Scratch Club, Joanne Jefferson."

"_Joanne Jefferson?_" Mark repeated.

"You mean _the_ Joanne Jefferson?" Maureen asked in a mocking tone. "The oh-so famous Joanne Jefferson who I've never heard of?"

"Mimi and her friends know her," Roger said. "She's pretty much the best lawyer all around. She represents everyone and always ends up winning. Plus, she's hot!"

"And you want people to keep a watch on me?" Maureen stuck out her tongue.

Roger did the same. "Trust me, you don't have to worry about a thing. You're gonna love Joanne." He looked at the door. "In fact, there she is now!"

Mark jumped out of his seat and started filming the entrance. "_Hey, look, Joanne's heading toward the Life Café! Coming from Harlem after winning another case today. In the city nicknamed Alphabet, she's the one who can get you out of trouble in one, two, one, two, three, four!_"

The doors opened. A young, dark-skinned woman walked through the door. She was wearing a cream suit with a brown vest underneath. She took off her coat and gave it to one of the waiters, along with her briefcase. Maureen was hypnotized by the lawyer. Roger was right. She was definitely hot in her book. There was a slight sway in her hips as she walked up to the bar and ordered a glass of wine. She took a sip and looked to see that Mark was filming her.

"Must you always have your camera in your hands?" she teased.

"There's always something worth filming," he replied. She nodded and handed her glass to Maureen. She then jumped on top of the bar.

"_I'm Joanne Jefferson and I'm here to help you out!_" she chanted. There was a grunt in her voice that Maureen found sexy. "_Lawyer that the city always talks about. Helping unwed mothers who I usually represent, the needle in the vein of the corporate. I'm the legal aid of those in denial, with a different taste and different style._"

"Joanne!" Roger exclaimed. "You made it."

"I wouldn't miss is for the world," Joanne said. She sat down on the counter so she could hug the rocker. "How's Miss Mommy?"

"She's pregnant."

"That's what I thought." She took Roger's hand and jumped from the bar onto a table. Maureen watched, thoroughly impressed.

"_Vegetarians and druggies full of pot and smack_," Joanne sang. "_They're always in court 'cause they're always under attack. Supporting a city where not many Bohemians are bright. They all ran away and are now about to start a new life. I'm the legal aid of those in denial, with a different taste and different style._" She stuck her tongue out at Mark's camera lens. "_Are you talking to me?!_" she shouted. "_I'll give you the help you long about._"

"_Joanne Jefferson!_" Roger chanted. Joanne giggled and hopped back onto the floor. She took her wine glass back from Maureen and downed it within ten seconds. An older man came up from behind and rested his hand dangerously low on her back.

"Hello, pretty lady," he grunted. "What's your name?" Joanne moved his hand away and snickered.

"_I'm Joanne Jefferson and I'm a lesbian_," she sang without any hesitation. "_I'm free from hiding in the closet anymore. Trust me girls, I'm loads of fun. In the East Village, I know I'll score_." She winked at Maureen before shoving the stranger off of her. "_I really hate to say it but you're not my type, so shut your mouth before I shoot you down. Join the club of those who hit on a dyke before, so turn that smirk into a frown._" The stranger walked away. Roger high-fived Joanne. "_It's serious but hilarious. It's Joanne Jefferson, and that's my name!_"

"Wow," Maureen breathed. Joanne took the seat next to her.

"_And I'll make you scream it_," she finished. She held out her hand. "Joanne. And you are...?"

Maureen momentarily forgot Mark. "Maureen Johnson," she introduced herself. She shook Joanne's hand. "So, you're a lawyer?"

"Best damn one in the East Village," Joanne said. "Not to be too cocky. So, Maureen, are you currently single?"

_Damn, Mark._ Maureen cringed. "Yeah, I'm with the camera boy. I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Joanne reached into her pant pocket and pulled out a business card. "I don't think he'll be in your life much longer anyway. If you get bored, call this number." She slipped it into Maureen's top, right between her breasts.

"Here comes Mimi!" Roger shouted. All of those at the Life for the baby shower quickly turned their heads. Mark filmed the door as a very pregnant Mimi waddled inside.

"SURPRISE!" everyone exclaimed. Mimi gasped and teared up.

"Aw, you guys shouldn't have!" she gushed.

"Roger told you, didn't he?" Mark asked. Mimi nodded. Her friends laughed.

"Well, I might as well congratulate the mommy-to-be," Joanne said. She got out of her seat and went over to Mimi, who was now lip-locked with Roger. Maureen watched the lawyer walk away. She then reached into her shirt and pulled out the card. Sure enough, it had Joanne's work and cell number on it. Rather than throw it away, like a girl in a committed relationship should have done, she tucked it into her back pocket.


	8. Give Me Heroin

Mimi sat on the edge of her bed as she folded clothes. Right now, she was on maternity leave, meaning that Roger was out supposedly getting a job. Instead of bartending or waiting tables, as he had promised Mimi he would try to do, he stood on street corners in more populated areas of the city and played music on his guitar while strangers dropped money in one of his old hats. Most of their money came from whenever Collins sent them some. Fortunately, a university professor's salary was large enough to help care for himself and his friends back home. No matter how many times Benny would offer to pay for their expenses, they always turned him down. They refused to give in to him and let them be in his debt even more than they already were.

Suddenly, Mimi felt sick. She made her way to the bathroom as quickly as she could before crouching over the toilet bowl and throwing up into it. She almost started crying from the burning sensation in her throat. It wasn't fair. She wished that she was never addicted to heroin. She wished she would've said no the second she was offered the drug at that stupid party she went to in high school. She was still using during the beginning of her pregnancy, before she even realized that she was pregnant at the moment. Roger didn't even know she was still using. She had to stop. It was bad enough that Jonathan might be born HIV positive, but being born a heroin addict was just as bad. Now she had to lie about every time she would start shivering and sweating and vomiting uncontrollably. No way Roger could discover she was going through withdrawal now.

"_Take away the twitching and the cries_," she sang softly. "_Leaning my head against the edge of the bowl. It annoys me more than Musetta's Waltz. I need to get my fix right away_." She struggled to pull herself up off the tiled floor so she was sitting on the edge of the bathtub. "_I promised myself that I would fix this, and assured myself with Roger's kiss. I want to buy a bag tonight and pretend that everything is alright. I wish I could rid myself of this sin. Someone give me heroin._"

Mimi stood up and waddled back to her bed. She pulled out one of her regular shirts from before she was nine months pregnant. Soon she'd be able to fit those clothes again. She could throw away her hideous maternity clothes, or maybe give them to Tent City. Yeah, then she won't feel so guilty about trashing them.

"_I wish I could get this out of my mind_," she crooned. "_Now that there's a baby forming inside me. It doesn't help that I'm dying of HIV. The Man says a hit won't ruin it. Maybe it's a lie. I promised myself that I would fix this, and assured myself with Roger's kiss. I want to buy a bag tonight and pretend that everything is alright. I wish I could rid myself of this sin. Someone give me heroin. Ah heroin._"

Mimi balled up the shirt and threw it back in the basket. She dumped the rest of the folded clothes back in there as well. It seemed pointless to do laundry at this moment. Maybe she could go and visit Mark and Maureen until Roger got home. Or they could visit her; walking around pregnant wasn't an easy task.

"_I promised myself that I would fix this, and assured myself with Roger's kiss. I want to buy a bag tonight and pretend that everything is alright. Roger, baby, rid me of this sin, and let me buy some heroin._"

"Meems, I'm home!" Roger called out as he walked through the front door.

"Hey, baby," Mimi said. She groaned as she rose to her feet. She took one step forward when she felt something warm on her legs. Then intense pain. Se sat back down and let out a shriek of half-terror and half-pain.

"Mimi!" Roger rushed to her side. "What's wrong? Is everything alright?"

"Roger!" she gasped. "I think... I think the baby's coming!"


	9. LastOfTheBisexualGirls - He'sNoTrouble

"HOLY FUCK!" Mimi shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Try to remain calm, Miss Marquez," the doctor stressed. "The nurses are getting the morphine now..."

"I NEED YOU TO GET THIS BABY OUT RIGHT FUCKING NOW!" the dancer roared. She pointed at the ceiling. "FUCK YOU EVE FOR MAKING CHILDBIRTH SO FUCKING PAINFUL!"

"Hey babe!" Roger greeted his girlfriend as he walked into the room. "Mark and Maureen are on their way. They're really excited for Jonathan's arrival-"

"YOU!" A murderous gleam was in Mimi's eyes. "YOU DID THIS TO ME!"

"Yeah I did," Roger said with a grin.

"I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!"

"Just ignore whatever she tells you," the doctor told the alarmed rocker. "She's just in a lot of pain. The nurses should be here soon to help reduce it."

"They better get their asses here faster," Roger muttered. "Meems, just take my hand and squeeze it whenever you feel a contraction coming - _AH!_" Roger screamed as he felt Mimi squeeze the life out of his hand.

"I'M GOING TO STAB YOU IN YOUR SLEEP UNTIL THE BED IS SOAKED IN YOUR BLOOD!" she threatened.

"Help!" Roger cried.

"IF I WASN'T NINE MONTHS PREGNANT I'D SHOOT YOU IN THE FUCKING FACE!"

As if on cue, three nurses came into the room and saw that Roger was about to have his arm torn off. Two of them tried to inject the morphine into Mimi as fast as they could, while the third was stuck with the difficult task of wrestling Mimi off of her boyfriend.

* * *

"Maureen!" Mark called out as he rushed back to the lobby. "I found out what room Mimi's in. She said we have to wait until after she gives birth, of course, but it's room five twenty-five..." He watched as his flirtatious girlfriend hit the shoulder of a woman he'd never met before. The girl grinned and slipped a piece of paper into Maureen's back pocket before walking away. Maureen watched the girl's backside as she sauntered away. Mark couldn't watch any longer. He went right up to her. "Really?" he asked. Maureen let out a loud shriek and jumped.

"Oh my god, Pookie!" she exclaimed. "You scared me!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," Mark apologized instantly. Then he remembered why he approached her. "I just didn't want to ruin your little conversation with that girl."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Maureen claimed. Mark kept eye contact with her as he reached into her back pocket and produced a slip of paper with a phone number on it.

"I walk away for a minute and you're trying to find a booty call?" he asked.

"It's not what you think!"

Mark flipped over the paper. "'In case your boyfriend can't satisfy you, give me a call, sexy,'" he read aloud.

"It's not a crime that I'm sexy!" Maureen whined. "Wait, did she seriously write that?"

"_Maureen!_"

"What if I called her over for a threesome instead?"

"Are you freakin' kidding me?!"

"What?" Maureen could finally realize that Mark was hurt. "Pookie?" she tried to hug him, but he shoved her off lightly.

"Damn it, just leave me alone right now!" he spat. "Maybe you should call Collins and tell him that Mimi's about to have the baby." He walked away and sat over near the gift shop.

"Yeah," Maureen said to no one in particular. "Maybe I should. He'll be thrilled to know..." She trailed off and dragged her feet to the nearest payphone.

From across the lobby, Mark watched Maureen search through her pockets for coins. He sighed. "_She puts her leather pants on, the one thing that proves she has nothing to hide,_" he sang. "_She can make you weak at the knees with a little wave of her hand. She makes me paranoid with her naturally loose behavior. There's only one of her, she's the last of the bisexual girls._"

Maureen groaned and stamped her feet. She glanced back at Mark. He turned his head the second they made eye contact. "_He's not trouble_," she chanted. "_He's a saint._"

"_She'll wear fishnet tops even in the middle of winter_," Mark observed.

Maureen toyed with the sleeves of her fishnet top. "_He's the man of my dreams, but is he enough?_"

"_She distracts me to the point where I fall off my bike_." He winced at the memory of falling onto solid concrete.

"_He's no trouble, always filming._"

Mark pulled out his camera and started recording the people in the lobby around him. "_She's on a prowl for workers at the Cat Scratch Club._"

"_What was it that they call that what's-his-face?_" Maureen wondered. She knew what it was - _weak_.

"_She can act straight but other times she's a total dyke._"

Maureen grinned to herself. "_He's the tough one, yet submissive_." She bit her lip and remembered the fun they had the previous night.

"_She drives me insane with her flirtatious behavior._"

"_And you can't imagine what we'd use that scarf for!_"

"_But I cooperate; she's the last of the bisexual girls_."

Mark didn't hate her for being bisexual. Hell, he was rather proud that she had the guts to come out of the closet. But ever since Mimi's baby shower last month, he'd noticed that Maureen had grown a little more distant. A new flirty side emerged, and he wasn't too fond of it. Just last week, he had to pull Maureen out of the Key Club when she wouldn't stop flirting with the woman in rubber. "There will always be women in rubber flirting with me!" she cried when they fought about it back home later that evening. He'd forgiven her, of course. But how many times could he keep on letting her get away with such things?

"_She jumps over the moon with Elsie at her side,_" he sang. "_She'll wave her arms and moo, and I'll just join in at her side. It makes me lose my mind!_" Mark stood and punched the vending machine next to him. He regretted doing so a second later. "_Fuck!_"

Maureen watched her lover shake his hand. "_He's no trouble_," she sang. "_He's a saint. He's the man of my dreams, but is he enough? He's no trouble, always filming. He's the tough one yet submissive._"

Maureen was about to leave when she feels a hand on her shoulder. She turns to see Mark looking at her. He holds out his hand and has a couple of quarters in it.

"I-I found these in the vending machine," he explained. "I guess someone forgot to get their change. I know we should probably save it for something else, but I know that it's important for Collins to know, and..." He just drops the coins into her hand and turned to walk away. Maureen spun him back around and hugged him.

"I'm sorry, Pookie," she said.

"I know," he whispered as he hugged her back. "Me too."

Over her shoulder, Mark watched as the very last person he wanted to see at his moment walked into the hospital. He watched the person march right up to the front desk and introduce herself:

"_I'm Joanne Jefferson and I'm here to help you out. Lawyer that the city always talks about. Helping unwed mothers who I usually represent; the needle in the vein of the corporate!_"


	10. Last Year On Earth

Maureen sat in a chair with her hands covering her face. The last thing she needed right now was to be stuck in the same room as Mark and Joanne. Joanne didn't even say hello. She just rushed past her looking for a client in the maternity ward (not Mimi, as Mark had clarified). Mark had to use the bathroom, but he'd been gone for quite some time now. Maureen was about to get up and go look for him when a nurse approached her.

"I was told to give something to a Maureen Johnson," he said. "Are you her?"

"Yeah, I'm Maureen," she replied. She sat up a bit in her seat. "Am I in trouble?"

"Nope. Some woman in a business suit paid me to bring you this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny bottle of tequila with a note attached to this. It reminded Maureen of that Alice in Wonderland cartoon she had watched as a young child.

"Thanks," she said. She took the bottle from his hands.

"Please try not to drink any at the hospital," the nurse warned. "I don't want to see you get thrown out." He walked away. Maureen just nodded and looked at the note.

_**I know I gave you my number. Call me.  
-Joanne**_

Maureen groaned. Just her luck. As much as she wanted to call Joanne this very instance, she couldn't betray Mark anymore than he assumed she already had. She tore the note off of the bottle and stuck it in her pocket.

"Alcohol?" Mark asked as he walked back to her. "It's barely three."

"I'm on edge," Maureen muttered. "My best friend's girlfriend is having a baby."

"I didn't mean it like that, it's just..."

"I have to pee." She walked away from Mark. As she did, she unscrewed the cap off of the bottle and drank it all. It wasn't like that much alcohol was enough to get her buzzed anyway.

* * *

Joanne hid her face behind a magazine as Maureen passed her. Fortunately, she wasn't noticed. The lawyer put the magazine on her lap and sighed. She didn't know if Maureen read her note. Did she still have her number? Maybe she threw her card away. She should've written her number on the back of her note, just in case... No, she wasn't going to stress herself out like this.

"_I bought a shot just for you,_" she sang. "_Did it reach you? For now, I hope alcohol will do. I wish I were in bed with you every night, yet your boyfriend's always with you._" She looked over to see if Mark was around. For once, he wasn't. She watched Maureen go into the bathroom. Against her better judgement, she followed her.

* * *

Mark watched the hallway Maureen stalked down. Then his eyes ventured to the door, hoping Roger would appear and tell them that everything's alright. But he sat alone. He was always alone.

"_In all of this shit, I have you,_" he sang to himself. He pretended he was saying these words to Maureen. "_I venture up and down the avenues for you. I want nothing but you. If I lose you to your insane ways, I'm just glad that I have you._"

* * *

"Push, damn it, push!" Roger shouted at Mimi. He gripped her hand, and this time, he didn't mind that he was losing feeling in it. He was too excited and caught up in the moment to care.

"You're almost there, Miss Marquez!" the doctor cried. "I can see the head! All you need is one last push!"

Mimi screamed as she gave one last push. When her head fell back against the pillows and her screaming ceased, there was a tiny cry being heard.

"Congratulations, Miss Marquez," the doctor announced. "It's a beautiful baby boy!"

"Jonathan Thomas Davis," Roger said.

"Our baby boy," Mimi squealed. She pulled Roger into a kiss and pressed their foreheads together. "_With five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred moments so dear, I want to spend them all with you,_" she sang. "_I've stayed clean only because of you, I swear on my life that it's true. In all of this shit, I have you. I venture up and down the avenues for you. I want nothing but you. If I lose you to your insane ways, I'm just glad that I'm with you._"

"I'm gonna go and get Mark and Mo," Roger said. He kissed Mimi again before running out of the room, shouting, "I'M A DAD!"

"Here you are, Miss Marquez," the doctor said. He handed Mimi he tiny son. He was wrapped in a blue blanket, his scrunched red face poking out. He let out a yawn. Mimi smiled and kissed his forehead.

"_In all of this shit, I have you,_" she whispered.

* * *

"_I venture up and down the avenues for you_," Mark sang as he waited for Maureen to return.

"Mark! Maureen!" Roger burst through the door. His eyes scanned across the lobby until he saw the filmmaker standing by himself. He ran right up to him and picked him up, spinning him in circles.

"Put me down, Roger!" Mark groaned. Roger obeyed, but not before kissing Mark's forehead.

"I'm a dad!" Roger exclaimed. "I'm a freaking daddy!" Some of the others nearby clapped for the rocker's enthusiasm.

"Congrats, man," Mark said with a laugh.

"Grab Mo and your camera and let's get a move on!" Roger ran back through the doors that led to the maternity ward. Mark chuckled, shook his head, and went to find Maureen.

* * *

Joanne stood by the sinks and waited patiently for the diva to do her business. She heard a stall door swing open, and soon, she could see Maureen staring at her through the reflection of the mirror.

"_I want nothing but you,_" Joanne crooned. "_If I lose you to your insane ways, I'm just glad that I had a chance with you._"

"Joanne..." Maureen groaned. "I don't know if I can... I mean, I'm with Mark, and it wouldn't be right."

"Maureen, I saw you flirting with the other strippers at Mimi's baby shower," Joanne said. "It's not like you haven't considered cheating before."

"I..." Maureen was at a loss for words. She stood still as Joanne stepped closer.

"No one has to know," she whispered, their lips only inches apart.

"No they don't," Maureen agreed quickly before pressing her lips on Joanne's. It went from one sweet kiss to many rough ones. Joanne picked up Maureen and put her on the counter. Maureen wrapped her legs around the lawyer and pulled her closer. She then started kissing her neck, enjoying the moans of pleasure escaping from Joanne's lips.

"Maureen, are you in there?" Mark's voice echoed.

"Shit," Maureen hissed. She shoved Joanne off of her and hopped off of the counter.

"Mimi just had the baby. Roger said to hurry and join them."

"I have to go," Maureen whispered.

"When will I see you again?" Joanne asked quietly.

"Soon," the diva promised. She gave Joanne one last kiss and quickly rushed out of the restroom. She didn't say a word to Mark, but took his hand and let him kiss her, pretending that her lips weren't just on the lips of a woman's.


	11. Too Clean Too Soon

"Sh," Mimi said quietly when she picked up Jonathan from his crib. The one-month-old baby was always crying in her opinion. She had to work overtime all week in order to make enough money to support her, Roger, and now their infant. She was never home between eight at night and three in the morning. Maureen and Mark often babysat for them. Roger... well, Roger didn't contribute much, in Mimi's opinion. The thing he had ever done for Jonathan is help create him.

"Can you make that thing quiet?" Roger barked from the bed.

"Please stop crying," Mimi pleaded as she cradled Jonathan in her arms. She looked around the crib until she finally located the baby's pacifier. She stuck it in his mouth and felt relief as Jonathan calmed down and slowly fell back asleep. Mimi put the baby back in his crib and then turned to Roger.

"What?" the rocker asked.

"Our baby is not a 'thing'," Mimi said. "He is our son."

"Well our son is very loud."

"He's a baby! He doesn't know how to act."

"Maybe he got his constant whining and crying from his mother."

"Very mature, Roger." Mimi stalked out of the bedroom. Roger followed her.

"Whenever you're here, you sleep, and when you're awake, you're not home with him," he said. "You always stick him with me."

"Because I have a job, Roger," Mimi groaned. "We've been over this. If you're gonna stay unemployed, then I have to keep on working. We can't have us both home all day, you know."

"That's not the only reason you're never around him."

"Enlighten me. What is the other reason?"

"You're using again."

That one caught Mimi's attention. She stared at the floor and muttered, "I'm not still using."

"Yeah, you are. That's why you're wearing a sweater," Roger pointed out.

"I'm cold."

"In July?"

"Is that a crime?"

"No, but you using heroin while being a mother is."

"Please, save the bullshit, Roger. You stand on street corners playing the same song over and over again. If you're as talented as you claim you are than you would get a real job!"

"Here we go again..."

"I'm not dealing with this." Mimi went back into the bedroom. Roger let out a bitter laugh and sat on the table.

"_She's got track marks up and down her arms like a line, yet she swears on her life that everything is fine,_" he sang. "_She takes off her clothes while disgusting men stare. It may be her job but how does she not care._" He heard Mimi let out a loud sound of annoyance. He grinned; he was trying to get into her head, and it was working. "_Her behavior has me wondering how long has it been since she's seen... The Man. Too clean too soon. She swears that it's true. Too clean too soon. Too bad I already know blue. Too clean too soon. She swears that it's true. Too clean too soon. Too bad I already know blue._"

Roger picked up his guitar and began playing. After about ten second of him strumming the chords of an old song from the radio, Mimi stormed out of the bedroom with his suitcase. She threw it into the hallway without a second glance at her boyfriend.

"_He's playing the chords to the only thing he knows,_" Mimi sang, taunting Roger. "_He acts like he's great, but it really doesn't show. He is, he is, but is he? I haven't heard or seen. So have fun fucking around trying to find your one song glory._" Roger stopped playing and put down his guitar. Mimi pretended not to notice. "_His overconfidence is overweening. All of his bullshit has me seeing... the truth. Too clean too soon. Nothing can guarantee the truth. Too clean too soon. Without the drugs he's out of tune. Too clean too soon. Nothing can guarantee the truth. Too clean too soon. Without the drugs he's out of tune._"

Roger tries to make Mimi stop throwing his belongings out the door, but she continuously wrestles out of his grasp and does as she pleases.

"_She throws out my shit without any goodbye,_" Roger sang.

"_Why should I try?_" Mimi crooned. She turned to Roger. "_I hope you rot in hell!_"

"_Have fun fucking Benny! You whore!_" Mimi shoved Roger out the door and slammed it shut. "_Too clean too soon. She swears that it's true. Too clean too soon. Too bad I already know blue._"

Mimi heard Jonathan start to cry again. "_Too clean too soon. Nothing can guarantee the truth. Too clean too soon. Without the drugs he's out of tune._" She took one last glance at the door, hesitating to take Roger back and beg for forgiveness, and then goes to care for her son.


	12. Before the Midterms

The most dreaded part of the summer semester had finally arrived: midterms. Collins hated sitting through them as much as his pupils despised taking them. It meant sitting there for two hours doing absolutely nothing. Making sure that no one cheated, even though they knew cheating led to expulsion. Pretending to care that little Mary Sue didn't know the answer and acting as if he could actually help her out when he wasn't allowed to. He checked the clock. Seven more minutes. Students filled the room. They went to the desk with their assigned test at it. Some were lazy about it and stood around gossiping or flirting or just being goofy. Others rushed to their seats and pulled out textbooks to reread chapters. Collins shook his head when he saw this.

"_Reading_," he sang. "_They haven't been reading from books of philosophical words. Do they know where they're from?_"

A girl rushed in with a large cup of coffee. This made Collins chuckle. She obviously had just woken up. Her hair was unbrushed, drool was crusted to her cheek, and dark bags were under her eyes. She could barely carry all of her books and papers to her desk. She tried to organize her things. Collins was slightly disappointed by this; this was one of his top students that was going bizarre. Her peers knew that too, and it made them cringe.

"_Cringing,_" Collins sang. "_I can see them cringing before they've picked up their pencils or their early morning coffee._"

Three minutes remained. Now the lingering slackers made their way to their seats. They tried to keep their "cool" behavior noticable by not studying like the ones who were panicking. They were the ones who actually needed to study for the midterms. Collins shook his head.

"_Crying,_" he hummed. "_Everyone will be crying because they didn't study the text I've been teaching this year._"

He checked his watch. Just one minute before he was forced to sit through the one hundred twenty minutes of the midterms. The worst part was that it was just the first test. He had to sit through two more after this one.

"_Sleeping_," he yawned. "_I'd rather be sleeping. Snoring while they lose their minds and pass out on the ground..._"

The back doors burst open as one final student came in late. "I'm sorry! I know I'm late!" the student cried.

Collins watched the person with interest. Beautiful. Caramel skin. Innocent brown eyes. There was something way too familiar about this person... his angel! It was his angel, but now, he was a she. A girl with short black hair. Instead of a white robe, she wore a pink blouse and black skirt with heels. A pink flower replaced the halo. But even though she had a different appearance, Collins knew this was his angel. He started the test and continued to watch her until he dozed off with her on his mind.


	13. An Extraordinary Angel

Collins picked his head up off of the desk to find himself still trapped in the lecture hall. All of his students were looking down at their papers. Chewing pencils or erasers, scratching necks or scalps, resisting looking off of neighbors' papers. They all sit in front of their tests, pretending to know all of the answers. In reality, none of them gave two shits about Computer-Age Philosophy. They probably didn't even know Collins' name. They were all the future chemists and biologists and physicists of America. They would supposedly cure cancer and discover new life forms and figure out how hard an apple hit Isaac Newton's head. They were taking his class just because they had to fulfill specific requirements to graduate. Collins scanned through the crowd of students in search of the girl - _guy?_ - his angel. She was nowhere in sight.

Suddenly, the room became pitch black, except for the light over his head. Collins momentarily believed that there was a blackout, but the students hadn't reacted and continued taking their midterms. He saw a shadow floating through the lights. He looked up and saw his angel floating through the air. This time, he was a boy, just like his original dream. The angel went over to the chalkboard and wrote out his name in his loopy handwriting.

_Angel Dumott Schunard_

The angel disappeared and the lights came back on. Collins turned around to find Angel, now a girl again, taking her test. He checked the clock. It was frozen at the noon, to the exact second. He had to take a guess how long it'd been since he first administered the test; twenty years ago. He looked back to Angel. She had looked up from her test and smiled at him. And... did she _wink_ too? Collins did a double-take. Angel stifled a giggle.

"_She's an extraordinary Angel_," Collins sang to himself. "_Sent from heaven to this hell, and I swear she's looking my way._"

Angel bit her lip. "_I love hearing him speak his mind_," she sang. "_God damn, he's so fine! And I swear he's looking my way._"

"_She's way too young for me,_" Collins observed. "_Only if I could be with her legally._"

Angel tapped her pencil against her desk. "_Oh, God, I feel like dying!_"

"_I feel like I might start crying._" Collins put his head back down on his desk. He was way too confused right now. "_She makes me wonder if I'm straight. I'm gay, but this opens a gate. She makes me consider switching teams._"

"_Oh, God, I want to kiss his lips,_" Angel sang. She grinned at the professor. "_I bet that together we'll fit, like a perfect couple - I think I'm gonna scream!_"

Collins shook his head. "_She's way too young for me. Only if I could be with her legally._"

"_Oh, God, I feel like dying_." Angel hid her face behind her hands.

Collins saw the younger girl hiding her face from him. "_I feel like I might start crying_."

Angel couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and knocked her desk over. Collins watched in awe. All of the other students looked up from their tests and watched as the drag queen climbed over them to the front of the room. Collins stood up and backed away as Angel stood up on his desk.

"_She's too young for me,_" they chorused. "_If only I could be with her legally._"

"_Oh, God, I feel like dying,_" Angel breathed as Collins climbed up onto the desk with her.

"_I think that it may be worth trying_," they sang together. "_What are the chances of them finding?_"

"_I feel like I might start crying_," Collins said. Angel took his hands and they levitated toward the ceiling.

"_She's an Extraordinary Angel,_" the other students sang. "_An extraordinary Angel. An extraordinary Angel. An extraordinary Angel..._"

Collins cupped Angel's cheeks in his hands and brought her lips to his as he finally got his first sweet kiss with her - the first of the one thousand he'd dreamed of already.


	14. Before the Midterms (Reprise)

"Professor Collins!"

Collins picked up his head and looked over lazily to the clock. It was working again, letting him know that it was a little after noon and that the set of midterms are completed. He was drowsy enough to fall back asleep, therefore he decided that he was going to. But then he remembered that someone was standing there, calling his name. He looked up into the eyes of his angel.

"Sir, you've been asleep during the entire test," Angel said with concern lingering in her voice. "I was making sure you weren't dead or something."

"Uh, thanks," Collins muttered. He straightened out the pile on his desk and put out a separate one of blank tests for the next class.

_Beep! Beep!_

Just his luck. Time for another AZT break. He was just about to reach for his suitcase when he sees Angel reach into her bookbag and casually pull out her own. Collins watches as she turns it off and takes her little pill.

"You...?" He didn't expect his angel to be sick.

"What?" Angel asked. "You've never seen one of these before?" She lets out a nervous laugh before hiding everything. "It's for people with AIDS. People like me."

"Me too," Collins admitted.

"You?" This surprised Angel. Although she would sit in class and continue to admire her teacher, she didn't suspect his homosexuality at all. He was the first boy to not set off her gay-dar.

"Yeah."

Angel started to walk away, but she forced herself to turn around. "I don't mean to impose," she said, "but I have this thing later that I think you'd be interested in."

"Poetry slam club?"

She giggled. "No. It's Life Support."

"Life Support?"

"It's an off-campus group for people coping with having AIDS." Angel played with her skirt, her face bright pink. "This is so stupid. I can't-"

"I'd love to go," Collins said quickly.

"Really?"

"Meeting other people with AIDS doesn't sound too bad. It's proof that we're not the only ones suffering." He reached over and squeezed Angel's hand.

"I... uh..." She was too shocked to speak. "I'll be here after the third exams." She let him hold her hand for another moment before exiting the room. As soon as she left, others filed in. They walked by Collins' desk and grabbed their exams. He saw some rush to their seats to take out their textbooks. People rushed in with large cups of coffee. They looked like they just woke up, even though it was the middle of the day. One girl was even crying. Collins groaned.

"_Reading,_" he sang. "_They haven't been reading from books of philosophical words. Do they know where they're from? Cringing. I can see them cringing before they've picked up their pencils or their early morning coffee. Crying. Everyone will be crying because they didn't study the text I've been teaching this year. Sleeping. I'd rather be sleeping. Snoring while they lose their minds and pass out on the ground._"

Collins started the test at 12:15 and fell fast asleep again at 12:16.


	15. One Last Song

Roger tried using his pillow to mute the sounds of Mark and Maureen fighting - _again_. He'd been living in the loft for one month. The moment Mimi kicked him out, he dragged his things back upstairs and moved into Collins' vacant room. He did try to get back downstairs a few times to see Mimi and Jonathan, but it always ended the same: Maureen would be shushing him as he cried and she and Mark would carry him to his room. Roger hasn't left since the last time he'd done that, nearly two weeks ago. Instead, he devoted his time to trying to find his song. He had done it before; for Mimi's birthday, he wrote a song titled "Your Eyes", and she absolutely loved it. Now he had another one, but he didn't know how Mimi would be able to hear it.

"Hey, Mr. Depressed Guitar Man," Maureen said with a couple knocks against the wall. "Can I talk to you?"

"Are you and Mark not talking to each other?" Roger groaned. "That's like the fifth time this week!"

The diva giggled. "It's all good," she assured. As Roger sat up and removed the pillow from around his head, she turned and shouted, "At least I'm not an insecure little baby!"

"At least I can stay in a committed relationship!" Mark's voice echoed back.

"See?" Maureen turned back to Roger. "It's all good."

"I guess it's an improvement from cursing each other out for an hour and then you asking if we can share a bed for the night," he said. "So, what do you want?"

"I was making sure you still take your AZT. I don't want you trying to kill yourself in here when no one's paying attention."

"Do you really think I would do that?"

"I don't know whether or not you would, that's why I'm in here. Plus, I'm bored."

"Ah, there's Mo."

Maureen sat down on the bed next to Roger. She saw the open notebook with the page covered in blue ink. "Are you... You wrote a song?" she gasped.

Roger grinned. "Yeah, I kind of did," he admitted sheepishly.

"I wanna hear it!" Maureen scooted closer and stared at Roger with wide eyes to show that she was giving him her full undivided attention.

"Well, it's for Mimi, but I don't know what to do. She won't talk to me, and if I go outside her door, she'll probably stab me."

"Oh. Why don't you pretend that I'm Mimi and play it for me?"

"That's not gonna work, Mo."

"Well, why not sit outside her window?"

"She'll kill me!"

"So? It's kind of a romantic gesture if you ask me."

Roger groaned. If he didn't listen to Maureen, she would most likely force him to do things her way. "Fine," he whined. He grabbed his guitar and followed Maureen to the window. She opened it and motioned for him to go first. He rolled his eyes and walked onto the fire escape and outside Mimi's apartment. He looked up and saw Maureen sitting above him. He knew he had no choice.

"I'm waiting," the diva said.

Roger shook his head and played the first few notes. For once, it was a tune that no one recognized. "_I only play the chords I find_," he sang. "_I know that Musetta's Waltz isn't your favorite kind. But ever since you asked if I had a light, my chords were all about you. But then you remind me about our disease, and that we don't have too much time left. So I'm writing this one last song before I go._"

"I really like it so far!" Maureen interrupted. "It seems a little spontaneous, but I think it's one of your best!"

"Really, Maureen?" Roger shouted.

"Sorry! Keep up the good work!"

Roger sighed. He continued his song. "_I know that it's hard to understand,_" he sang. "_I know I'm full of angst, and it annoys you. We have both fallen to The Man's curse and we broke away. Believe me when I say... I love you._"

"Mimi, if you can hear my voice, please come out and take Roger back!"

"Maureen!"

"What? This is a romantic scene going on!"

"_Maureen!_"

"Fine! I'll shut up now!"

"Thank you!" Maureen gave him the finger. Roger chose to ignore it as he continued, "_I get jealous of all the perverts that stick money inside your clothes. What was really on their mind instead? They just wanna get laid. Yet they'll never have someone like you to be with them every night and day. So this is why I'm writing this one last song before I go. So I'm writing this one last song before I go._"

This time, Maureen didn't give her opinion. Roger put the guitar down and waited for Mimi to throw back the curtains and burst through the windows. He wanted her to forgive him and let him move back in with her and their son. But nothing happened. He was confused as to why. He pushed the window gently and it opened. Roger went inside Mimi's apartment. It was deserted. The furniture, usually covered in clothes and papers, were bare. Beads hanging over doorways were absent. The bed was made for once. The baby crib was empty. No clothes were in the dresser drawers.

Mimi and Jonathan had left.

* * *

"Maureen?" Mark said. The diva turned around and saw him standing on the fire escape.

"Hey," she said.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you." The filmmaker sat down next to her. "It's just... I'm scared."

"Scared?" Maureen was confused by this. "What's scaring you?"

"I feel like I'm losing you. Ever since Mimi's baby shower, you've just been slipping away. At least, that's how I feel. I could just be paranoid."

"Baby, I feel like we're closer than ever."

_Lies_, Maureen thought. _I can't admit that I'm seeing Joanne too. I don't want you to know the truth. I love you, but I love her too._

"If you were seeing someone else, would you tell me?" Mark asked. "You wouldn't let me get hurt, right?"

"Right," Maureen lied.

"I love you."

That was what Maureen feared; those three words. Rarely does Maureen tell people that she loves them. She loves Collins, Roger, and Mimi. But they're her family. Mark was a different case. She was with him. They've been together for four months. Is that enough time for her to fall in love with someone? None of her other relationships have lasted nearly this long. Was it possible that she did love him?

"I love you too," she said in a soft tone. It felt right rolling off her tongue. Maybe she did love Mark. It was a hard concept to understand, but it made sense.

"I know we've had our ups and downs, but I know we'll be able to move past them," Mark said. He leaned in and kissed Maureen. She let him, but for some reason, her mind continued to wander to Joanne.


	16. Know Your Boundaries

Life Support was much more different from what Collins had expected. Well, at first, it was exactly how he imagined it. There were a bunch of people sitting in a circle, each one looking pale and depressed because they were all sick and dying. However, the ice was soon broken after everyone introduced themselves. Angel held his hand and squeezed it to let him know that it was all okay. The group accepted Collins right away, as if he had been there from the get go. They were all smiling and laughing and enjoying their life at the moment. One of them had said that his T-cells were low, but he said that it was the best he'd felt all year. Collins has lived life with AIDS acting as if he was okay with what he had, but on the inside, he was scared. Seeing people who were living while dying from disease was amazing.

"I'm so glad that you came, Professor Collins," Angel said. She smiled as they walked to Collins' car.

"Please, call me Collins," he replied. "And I'm glad that you invited me. It's an experience I may never forget." As they walked, the back of their hands brushed against each other. They tried to ignore it, but their hands continued to touch on several occasions. Finally, Angel just slid her hand into Collins' hand and held it. Collins gave her a look or surprise. She pulled her hand away quickly.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to."

"No, Angel, it's okay," the professor told her. "I didn't want you to _not_ hold my hand. It's just..." Collins took her hand again. "I like you."

Angel was shocked. "Y-you do?" she asked.

"Yeah. Look, this might sound crazy, but I had a dream where this... angel came to me and brought me to MIT. And he kept on telling me to come here and become a teacher. And then during the midterms, I look up, and I see you run in. Angel, it was _you_." Collins pulled out his car keys and unlocked the passenger door. "Am I creeping you out now? I'll stop. I'm sorry," Collins rambled. This was strange; he never rambled. He was never nervous either. However, now he was.

"No, sweetie, it's fine," Angel said. She put her hand on his upper arm. "I think it's really romantic."

"Really?" Collins asked. He grinned. "That's a relief." Angel giggled and sat in the passenger seat. Collins walked around and sat in the driver's seat. He stuck the key in the ignition, but before he turned it, Angel kissed him.

"I'm sorry!" she blurted. "I know it's wrong! I won't do it again!" She was cut off by Collins' lips.

"I wouldn't mind if you did it again," he said. "I want you to."

"But we can't."

"Why not?"

"If a student and a teacher have a relationship together, they both are expelled from MIT immediately."

"Damn, that's right." Collins started the car and began the twenty-minute drive back to campus. Less than a minute after starting, Angel's hand found its way to Collins' thigh.

"Of course, we could just limit ourselves," she said. "You know, make sure that no one could possibly suspect anything going on between us."

"You're a very smart young woman, Miss Dumott Schunard," Collins said. He took her hand in his and sang, "_What will be our boundaries? We gotta have our boundaries. We gotta know our boundaries, okay?_"

"_What will be our boundaries?_" Angel sang. "_We gotta have our boundaries. We gotta know our boundaries today, okay?_"

"_The intensity will rise,_" they crooned together. "_When sexual tendencies arise. We'll have to keep it to small talk and looks with our eyes._"

"_Kissing has a boundary_," Collins sang. "_We can't kiss publically, but we can in my apartment._"

"_Hugging has some boundary,_" Angel pointed out. "_Only if it's innocently, but not with our hands all over our bodies._"

"_Is it just our sexuality?_" they wondered. "_Banned for all eternity. It's like we practice anarchy - like I do every day - but now my ass is on the line._"

"_Sex is a big boundary_," Collins added. "_It'll happen exclusively. If we get caught we'll be expelled from MIT._"

"_What will be our boundaries?_" Angel sang. "_We gotta have our boundaries. We gotta know our boundaries, okay?_"

"_Is it just our sexuality?_"

"_The intensity will rise._"

"_Banned for all eternity._"

"_When sexual tendencies arise._"

"_It's like we practice anarchy - like I do everyday._"

"_We'll have to keep it to small talk._"

"_But now my ass is on the line._"

"_And looks with out eyes._"

"_We'll have to date practically - not as publically_," Angel sang. She ran her hand up Collins' leg. "_But I'll be screaming your name when we get home._"

"_What will be our boundaries?_" Collins sang. "_What will be our boundaries? We gotta have our boundaries._"

The two shared a look. "_What will be our boundaries?_"

"You know," Collins said, "I don't have to teach any classes for a week."

"Funny," Angel said. "I don't have anywhere to be for the next week either. And my roommate's girlfriend is staying over until classes start again."

"Well, I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable, but I do have a very nice bed that does fit two people."

"Then I guess that I should probably grab a few things and head over to your place."

"_Or_ we could go straight to my place, and since you don't have any other clothes, you could just wear mine."

The couple shared another look. They grinned and headed right for the professor's apartment.


	17. 21 Tries

Mark walked around Tompkins Square Park, his camera pointed at a kite flying in the sky. He loved the contrast of the bright warm colors with the blue and grey. It was these moments when he remembered why he chose to do independent documentary film over a more practical career path, like law or engineering. He rewinded the camera and then filmed a nearby soccer game between college students. One of the boys scored against the other ream in their tiny makeshift nets. His teammates cheered and hoisted him over their heads. The others shook their heads at their opponents. Mark turned the camera in another direction. A woman was selling coats right outside the park. Mark smiled when someone bought one from her. He looked across the street and saw the Life Café. He reached into his pocket and saw that he had ten dollars. He was hungry, and they did have a wonderful miso soup. He crossed the street and was ready to walk in when he glanced through the window. He stopped walked and stared. Maureen was inside, sitting at the bar with the one and only Joanne. For anyone who didn't know better, it looked like two friends innocently having a few drinks after a long day of working. But then Maureen kissed Joanne. Mark clenched his fists.

_How could she?_ he wondered.

He stormed back to the loft and slammed the door. He didn't know if Roger was home, but he didn't care if he woke up the rocker from his mid-afternoon nap. He was too pissed. He couldn't believe this. Back in August, she said that she loved him. Here she was, two months later, smooching the lawyer he accused her of being with. She lied right to his face. Did she even consider how he would feel?

"_What's the point of defending her anymore?_" he wondered. "_When I know she's a cheating whore. Why does it surprise me although I know who it is?_"

He walked into the kitchen to raid the booze cabinet. He accidentally knocked over a picture frame. He picked it up and, just his luck, saw a picture of him and Maureen kissing. He remembered that night. She took him to a nearby film festival. She had saved up for weeks to take him there and he loved her for doing something so thoughtful for him. Was she seeing someone else then too?

"_Is it because I lack confidence and pride?_" he sang. "_Or that no matter what I'm on her side? It was a fun ride, but now we're in ruins._"

* * *

Mimi sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the New York City skyline. It was a beautiful city during the night. She loved seeing the neon and chrome, even though it kept her up at night. She heard Jonathan cooing in his crib. She picked him up and cradled her four-month-old son in her arms. He was wearing a new onesie, a gift from Benny.

Benny. She can't believe all of the things he'd done for her. When Roger wouldn't stop trying to come into her apartment, she moved in with Benny. He supported her and the baby, meaning she could quit her job at the Cat Scratch Club. She was now among the yuppies and higher society of New York City. She never expected to be here in life. It wasn't what she exactly wanted in life. She really wanted Roger, but was he ready to be with her again?

"_One_," she crooned. "_Twenty-one tries. We gave it our all. Why do we even try?_"

* * *

Angel turned off the ignition and sat back in the driver's seat. Her and Collins' relationship was stronger than ever. But she feared what would happen if something ruined it. It was nearly impossible for her to sneak away and see her favorite professor anymore. He wasn't her professor anymore either. Her roommate kept on asking why she snuck out. His suspicion worried her.

"_One,_" she sang. "_Twenty-one tries. Maybe it wasn't the right time for you and I..._"

* * *

"When will I see you again?" Joanne asked Maureen.

"We'll figure it out," Maureen said. "Maybe I'll visit you at work sometime next week?"

"Why not sooner?"

"Because... I think Mark's onto us."

"Good."

"No, not good!"

"Maureen..."

"Look, I have to go, Joanne." Maureen looked around to make sure Mark wasn't nearby. When she was certain, she kissed Joanne. "I'll miss you, Pookie."

"I'll miss you too, Honeybear." The lawyer climbed into her car and drove away. Maureen waved until it disappeared from eyesight. She then turned and headed to the loft.

"_When did I decide to cheat on Mark?_" she sang. "_I know Joanne has this special spark. It's hard to stay committed to both and I'm leaving them both in the dark._"

* * *

Collins rolled onto his back. He'd been hungover for hours now and was expecting Angel to arrive any minute now. He loved the younger girl too much. It wasn't like it was illegal; after all, she was twenty. But as far as teacher-student relationships went, this was far from okay with the school board. He'd be expelled and most likely banned from MIT. If he was fired, that meant no money. He wouldn't be able to afford AZT, or to help Maureen and Roger back in New York. Would NYU take him back?

"_I'm tiptoeing on broken glass,_" he sang. "_My hangover hasn't yet passed._"

* * *

"Please," Roger begged Candy. "You must've seen her!"

"Roger, I'm telling you, Mimi hasn't shown up in weeks," the stripper said as she carefully applied eyeliner. "I heard Lilly say that she quit her job a while ago."

"What!"

"Yeah, something to do with her new beau being able to support her and the baby." Candy stood straight up, sticking out her chest more than necessary to get Roger's attention. "Maybe what you need is to move on and find a new girl?" She bit her lip and gave him a smoldering look.

"Thanks anyway," Roger grunted, ignoring her advances. He walked out of the Cat Scratch Club. She quit her job? Who the hell was this mystery guy making her quit her job?

"_Will things become normal at last? We're in ruins,_" he sang. He walked down a street. His frustration caused him to kick over a trashcan. "_One, twenty-one tries. We gave it our all. Why do we even try? One, twenty-one tries. Maybe it wasn't the right time for you and I..._"

* * *

Joanne unlocked the door to her apartment and walked in. She dropped her briefcase and lazily tossed her coat and keys on the floor. She sat down on the couch and took off her Doc Martens. As she massaged her feet, she wondered what she was doing with her life. She never let things get out of hand. Not only was her girlfriend a cheater, _Joanne_ was the other woman. This was not how she was raised.

"_When did I become the other girl?_" she belted. "_Why have I made my standards so low? What am I getting myself into? But somehow my love for her only grows._"

* * *

Mark pulled himself to his feet hours later. He'd been lying on his bed with a bottle of wine, drinking away his problems. So what if Maureen was cheating on him? Was he going to take it? As much as Mark wanted to admit to himself that he'd confront her and leave her, he knew he wasn't going to. He was a chicken shit.

"_I shouldn't sit in my room and cry,_" he sang. "_I'll end up giving her another try. But what else am I gonna do besides hide?_"

* * *

All seven of them looked up at the sky. They all gazed at the same moon, shining brightly in the night among billions of stars.

"_One,_" they all sang. "_Twenty-one tries. We gave it our all. Why do we even try? One, twenty-one tries. Maybe it wasn't the right time for - One, twenty-one tries. We gave it our all. Why do we even try? One, twenty-one tries. Maybe it wasn't the right time for you and I..._"

* * *

Mimi sighed. "_Nobody wants you. That's why I left you. I'm better off without you... with Benny._"


	18. Film Bomb

Mark cussed under his breath when he accidentally shocks himself again. He'd been trying desperately to cut together a new film. It was about his new life and how much it's changed ever since he'd met Maureen. Christmas was only ten days away, and he thought that it'd be a perfect film to show on Christmas Eve, if anything. It's show her how much he cared. One day, maybe instead of him presenting a new documentary, he'd present her a ring. But that'd be on the back burner, for a day he could actually afford to buy her one.

When he thought he finally had the final cut done, he played it over. The film was roughly three minutes long and had no sound. At first, it was clips of the small moments that made him smile. Roger struggling to build Jonathan's crib, and flipping off the camera when Mark teased him about it. Maureen dancing on the metal table that separated the kitchen area from the rest of the main room. Mimi holding Jonathan in the hospital shortly after his birth. Watching Roger and Maureen egg the landlord when he tried to collect the rent. Tent city, the night he'd met Maureen. Then the clip of Joanne entering the Life Café on the day of Mimi's baby shower. She made a face at the camera. She toasted Maureen. Her sitting in the hospital, staring at the bathroom.

That did it.

Mark turned off his projector and walked away from it. He hated Joanne more than anything right now. He couldn't believe that she'd snatched Maureen from him. Sure, he knew his girlfriend was bisexual and the lawyer was a lesbian, two factors he was perfectly fine with. The two of them together, especially when he was already with the former, was too much. When was the day he was going to finally tell Maureen that it was all over? That there was no longer an "us"?

He saw a note taped on the back of the sliding door. He read it;

_**Pookie,**_

After that, everything had been scribbled out:

_**I'm going to visit my mother...**_

_**I was called into work...**_

_**My cat had a fall...**_

_**I think Roger is with The Man...**_

_**Benny had me arrested...**_

_**I jumped over the moon...**_

Now all that was written was;

_**Out.**_

_**Love you!**_

_**Maureen**_

Mark crumpled the note in his hands and threw it across the room. He turned on his projector again and watched his film.

"_Where have all the memories gone?_" he sang. "_All I can vision is strangers getting high. That's all that's on my film reels. That's barely a good feel. I'll end up sitting here to cry._"

Now the film showed him and Maureen cuddling in their sleep. Mimi had snuck into their room one morning and recorded them. Toward the end of the scene, Mark sat up and yelled at her. Mimi giggled and was chased around the loft by Mark, who was wearing nothing but white boxers.

"_Where has all the humanity gone?_" he sang. "_I know what lies beyond Maureen's lies. She said she loved me, did she now? She claims she's mooing like a cow, but then she's off with Joanne getting screwed._"

A clip of Maureen pretending that she was Jesus being crucified when they were decorating for Christmas. She claimed that she was Jesus, and that it was the holiday celebrating the Romans murdering her. No one corrected her by saying the holiday she was referring to was Easter.

"_The town's Jesus is a cheating whore!_" he screamed. "_I can't believe I didn't notice before. I'm gonna pack my bags while I have a chance. She's her own self-tango dance!_"

Mark stormed into the room they shared and searched for his duffel bag.

"_It's been over since day one!_" he belted. "_It's been over since the first date. This city's illin', and I'm not willin'! It's been over since the first date. There's nothing left to analyze._"

Mark found in under the bed. He rummaged through the dresser drawers for all of his clothes. Most of it was Maureen's.

"_When can I film the junkies when it's not when they all die?_" he sang. "_Will I stay negative or is it not my fate?_"

Mark was about to grab his camera off the bedside table when he saw yet a picture of Maureen, Roger, Collins, and Mimi. It was the Christmas before he met Maureen. He realized now that he'd never see them again, or even meet Collins.

"_Should I stay back?_" he wondered.

He walked into the living room and saw a clip of him filming Roger at the Life goofing off. Now that he did a double-take, he noticed Joanne and Maureen flirting in the background. He hadn't noticed before. He realized that there was no reason for him to even try anymore.

"_You're not the Jesus of Bohemia!_" he screamed at the projection. "_Joanne is a representative of your inability to own just one love at the end of the millenium!_"

Mark quickly wrote a note and ran down the stairs as fast as he could. He wasn't going to wait around for Maureen to return.

"_It's been over since day one!_" he sang. "_It's been over since the first date. This city's illin', and I'm not willin'! It's been over since the first date. She thinks I can't dump her so I'm leaving her tonight. Wake up! Well she thinks I can't dump her so I'm leaving her tonight! I'm leaving her tonight!_"

Mark looked up at the fourth floor of the old building one last time before shouting, "_Tonight!_"


	19. Wake Me Up When December Ends

Maureen waltzed in the front door and slammed it shut. She'd been standing outside Benny's apartment building, screaming up to the twenty-third floor about how much Christmas spirit he lacked. Of course, Benny couldn't hear her perfectly well, and he didn't want Maureen to come into his apartment. There was the possibility of her finding out that Mimi and Jonathan had been living with him all along. She gave up eventually grew bored with shouting and returned home. She thought about seeing if Mark was up for a date night. They could hit the Key Club, or maybe even CBGB's to see if they were having an open mic night.

"Hey, Pookie, I'm home," she called out. "I'm really bored. You wanna hit the town tonight?" She waited for a response. After only five seconds, she said, "I was thinking maybe the Key Club?" Nothing. "Look, I know that you're mad at me, but I swear, I've been standing outside Benny's apartment and calling him a bulldog all day." No Mark anywhere. Now she was pissed at him. "You could act mature for five freakin' seconds and say something, you prick!"

She looked at the table and saw a piece of paper on it. She picked it up and read;

_**Maureen,**_

_**These past months have been absolutely wonderful. You're the most beautiful, talented, eccentric woman that I've ever met. Any guy (or girl) would be lucky to have even a sliver of a chance with you. But... you've hurt me more than I thought you were capable of. I gave you an inch, and you took the whole fucking mile. I've known about Joanne since October. I can't believe you did this to me. You told me you loved me. Obviously, you don't. The day you told me "I love you" you were already with her. I can't take it anymore.**_

_**They say that if you fall in love with two people, choose the second one, because if you really loved the first, you wouldn't have chosen the second. I'm helping you make up your mind. Have fun.**_

_**Mark**_

Maureen sat down on the couch. She was just dumped. That never happened. No one dumped her. Even though she knew she messed up, she figured that she'd end up being pressured into leaving Mark or Joanne for the other. This was too unexpected.

"_This year has come and passed,_" she sang. "_The innocent are the only ones left. Wake me up when December ends. Soon my own friends will pass. That time is gonna coming too fast. Wake me up when December ends._"

Roger walked into the loft with an eviction notice in his hands. "_We have to pay rent again, but we don't have a steady flow,_" he sang. "_We might be evicted this time unless Benny doesn't show._"

"What about Collins?" Maureen asked.

"I called him," Roger said. "He said that something came up and we may need to start job hunting."

"This fucking blows. I mean, first Mark dumps me..."

"Whoa, Mark dumped you?"

"Yeah, because he found out about Joanne."

Roger shook his head. "That's all on you, Mo. You cheated."

"I know, but I was gonna try to see if things could work between us," the diva pouted.

"_As we lay our friends to rest,_" Roger continued, "_We hold on to the memories that are the best. Wake me up when December ends._"

"What's this?" Maureen asked, pointing at the projector and screen.

"That's Mark's," Roger said. "I guess he finally finished that film."

* * *

Collins packed the last of his belongings into his car. He waited patiently for Angel's roommate to drop her off. Last night, while they were in the middle of making love, the dean dropped by. He didn't break into the apartment and catch them in the act, but Angel and Collins weren't exactly quiet either. He heard them both moaning each other's names. Collins and Angel were told that they had twenty-four hours to leave campus and to never return. Angel wasn't going to return home; she said her parents will kill her when they discover that they had paid for her education only to discover that she slept around rather than study. Collins told her that she was going to his home in New York, and she didn't object.

"_This year has come and passed,_" he sang. He sat on the hood of the car. "_The innocent are the only ones left. Wake me up when December ends. Wondering how we're here again. When was it that this began? Wake me up when December ends._"

* * *

"_We have to pay rent again,_" all three sang. "_But we don't have a steady flow. We might be evicted this time unless Benny doesn't show. As we lay our friends to rest, we hold on to the memories that are best. Wake me up when December ends._"

Roger held Maureen in his arms and watched Mark's film in silence. They both held their own pictures - Roger had one of Mimi, and Maureen of Mark - and quietly wished their lovers would return, while Collins looked at a picture of Angel he kept in his wallet and waited for his own to arrive.

"_This year has come and passed,_" they sang. "_The innocent are the only ones left. Wake me up when December ends._"

* * *

Maureen pulled away from Roger and looked out the window. "_Soon my own friends will pass_," she crooned, depression lingering in her tone. "_That time is gonna come too fast. Wake me up when December ends._"

* * *

Collins smiled when he saw the familiar sedan that Angel always borrowed from her roommate pull up.

"_Wake me up when December ends,_" he sang.

* * *

Roger rubbed Maureen's arm soothingly.

"_Wake me up when December ends,_" he sang.

They both smiled and hugged.

"_Wake me up when December ends,_" they sang.


	20. Christmas Eve

Maureen let out a loud groan as she woke up. She couldn't remember what happened the night before entirely. She did remember going out in the town with Roger to drink their sorrows away. Of course, at the moment, both were broke and were only making money from street performing. They ended up at the Life Café having a drinking contest. Maureen assumed that she had lost because she remembered deciding to take a nap on a table at the restaurant, and now, she was lying on the couch. She'd have to remind herself to thank Roger for carrying her home later. She stood up and padded into the kitchen. She picked up a note on the table and tried to read it. Her vision was too blurred. She couldn't understand half of the words.

"_My head is throbbing like crazy_," she sang. "_I am in bed all alone._" She squinted her eyes at the paper. "_There's a note saying 'I'm leaving'. Who's it from? I don't have a clue. Was it from last night? When was the last time we had a fight?_"

Maureen put her hand on her head. This hangover was much worse than usual. She knew someone who had the perfect gross concoction to deal with these things: Joanne. She grabbed her coat and rushed down to the Life Café, but didn't see the lawyer anywhere.

"_Where's Joanne today?_" she sang. "_She said we'd go to the Life Café. Is she at work right now? Someone please explain before I have a cow._" Maureen looked out the window and saw Joanne walking toward the restaurant. "_There she is on the street. She looks so cute and so sweet. On her way to work through a grimy city of dirt._"

"Joanne!" Maureen ran toward Joanne. "Jo, wait up, please!" Joanne quickened her pace, but the diva caught up.

"Please, Maureen, don't," Joanne warned. "I don't need this right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I know you mean well, but it's obvious that you can't even take care of yourself. How do I know that you even want a relationship? Plus, Mark confronted me. It's clear that you weren't going to choose between us and let us both suffer. I love you, but I can't be with you." Joanne turned around and walked away from Maureen. The diva was shocked that she was stood up to.

"_What the hell was that?_" she shouted. "_Did you decide to leave at the drop of a hat? Was I not doing enough in bed? We could go back home and I'll give you head!_"

Joanne did an about face to Maureen. "_They say there's no day but today, but you've caused me all this pain,_" she sang. "_You know this is fucked up and you know you're insane. Remember that you're the only one to blame._" Joanne got in her car and sped off. Maureen watched.

"_Joanne left today,_" she sang. "_After she said, 'No day but today.' I say, 'Take me baby, or leave me!'_"

* * *

"Welcome to the glamorous East Village!" Collins announced. Of course, he knew that there was nothing glamorous about this place. There was trash and clumps of dirty snow scattered across the streets. One of the homeless men tried to wash someone's windshield with his squeegee, only for the owner of the car to angrily drive away, nearly taking the bum with him. Police officers were trying to evict those from the Tent City forming in the nearby vacant lot. He hadn't realized how much he hated it here before.

However, Angel was in love with the city.

"_Is anyone here?_" Collins sang. "_Is anyone here? I can never tell if anyone's here._" He took Angel's hand and led her to the lot. Inside, a small riot was forming between a few cops and bums. In the far corner, nearly out of sight, The Man was selling his drugs to the junkies.

"Wow," Angel breathed.

_How does she enjoy this?_ Collins wondered.

"_The police are violently hitting people,_" he sang. "_Evicting Tent City from the Eleventh Street lot. There are druggies buying heroin from The Man._" He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a joint. "_You and me can just stick to pot._"

Angel tugged on Collins' sleeve and pointed in the other direction. "_There's a drag queen across the street,_" she sang. "_And no one's threatening her life. Being in the city, I feel so free. This is the perfect place! I won't have to live a lie!_" She kissed Collins' cheek. "_I think I'm gonna like it here!_"

The professor wrinkled his nose. "_You really wanna live here?_"

Angel nodded. "_I know I'm gonna love it here!_"

"_She's the only one who want to be here,_" Collins sang under his breath. He brough Angel back to the old building he'd lived in months ago. "_Let's go away - to Santa Fe! Let's drive over there right now!_"

Angel climbed up the fire escape to the first level. "_I feel alive and free! I didn't know it was a possibility! I wanna live here forever now! Now! Now! Now!_"

Collins knew that he wasn't going to able to argue with her. The people here were more tolerable of girls like Angel. He led her to the fourth floor, right outside the loft. He pushed open the window and saw that it was empty.

"_Where's Mo and Roger? Let's go see!_"

* * *

Meanwhile, Roger was lying on Mimi's old bed in the apartment underneath of his own. He still couldn't believe that Mimi was gone. He gave up on trying to go to the Cat Scratch Club to find her; not only did the bouncer throw him out last time, but the other strippers wouldn't stop hitting on him. However, he heard one of the local street vendors say that she saw Mimi with Benny. Of course she was. Mimi always ran back to Benny in the end, after she swore that she was done with him months before they met. It was official now; she was out of his life for good. All he had to remember her by were the songs he wrote for her, which he played on street corners while Maureen would sing with him. He couldn't keep on drinking until the pain was numb. Drugs was no longer an outlet either. So his solution was to write another song that'll make her take him back. He was trying to write it all night, and woke up with his notebook on his face and no words written on it.

"_I fell asleep in the middle of a song I've been working on all night, because it's been too long,_" he crooned. "_I can't find the words or the girl this is for. Why is it hard to write one now? It was easier before, but she chose Benny over me, and I didn't try to win her back. After so much trying I'll get over it._"

"Wait, I think I've got something," Roger muttered. He grabbed his pen and soon his chicken scratch was written on what was left of the page. He cleared his throat and started strumming chords.

"_Nobody wants me,_" he sang. "_That's why she left me. She's better off without me and with Benny. That's why she left me, nobody wants me. She's better off without me and with Benny._"

There was a knock on the door.

Roger gulped. "Mimi... fuck!" He put down his guitar and rushed over to the door. She must've assumed he wasn't upstairs and came here. He opened the door and was face-to-face with... Benjamin Coffin III.

"Hello, Roger," the landlord greeted him. "How nice it is to see you again."

"What do you want?" Roger asked.

"What do I want?" Benny grinned. "I wanted to tell you that I'm no longer going to pest you about paying the rent."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because Mimi told me that I should."

"_Mimi?!_" Roger was shocked. Mimi really was living with Benny. His worst nightmare was now a reality.

"Hell yeah," Benny said with a cackle. "_I got a million bucks,_" he sang. "_I live a richer life. Mimi just became my new girlfriend - don't tell my ex-wife. I live on the twenty-third floor. I own a Hummer and another car. I used to be a dilettante. I don't whine with a guitar. She's got a kid in my house - he almost calls me 'daddy'. She hasn't shot up heroin since before she came to live with me._"

"_I'd rather be a Bohemian Idiot!_" Roger cut him off. "_So get out of my life! Out of my life! Out. Of. My. Life!_"

* * *

"This café is so cute!" Angel gushed as she bounced over to the bar.

"Welcome to the Bohemian lifestyle," Collins chuckled. He gave the bartender a look. She nodded and poured two beers. She gave them to Collins, who gave one to Angel.

"Beer at three in the afternoon?" she asked.

"Viva la vie boheme," he said, toasting her and chugging the glass. He looked over the rim of the glass and saw two familiar faces. "Well, I'll be damned. It's about time they showed up."

"Who?" Angel asked.

"Mo and Roger." Collins grinned. Maureen and Roger sulked into the Life, not noticing their anarchist friend looking at them, until he announced, "Merry Christmas, bitches!"

"Collins!" Maureen squealed. She ran into his arms and hugged him. When he put her down, he gave Roger a much more subtle hug. Angel, of course, gave one to Maureen and Roger without introducing herself.

"Who's this stranger?" Roger asked.

"She's a cutie," Maureen giggled with a slightly seductive tone. She put her hand on Angel's bicep and inched closer. "What's your name?"

"Angel," the drag queen replied. She didn't realize she was being hit on.

"Um, Mo?" Collins asked, tapping Maureen's shoulder. "Did I tell you that Angel's my-"

"Not now Collins," Maureen cut him off.

"...Boyfriend?"

"What?" Maureen gasped. She let go on Angel and blushed. "Damn, why are all the cute ones gay?"

"So we don't have to look far for the perfect guy," Angel answered. She wrapped her arms around Collins and kissed his cheek.

"Besides, you have Mark, right?" Collins asked.

"You mean Joanne," Roger snorted.

"Neither, actually," Maureen admitted. "Both of them left me."

"Damn," Collins said. He let out a low whistle. He looked at the door as it opened and smiled. "Well well well, look who came along." The others looked at the door to see Mimi walking into the Life with Jonathan in her arms. He was bigger than Maureen and Roger remembered. Meanwhile, this was Collins' first time meeting the baby.

"Hey," the Latina said meekly. "I was hoping you'd be here. I heard Benny made a guest appearance today."

"What do you want, Mimi?" Roger asked. "It's bad enough that you take off without any warning with _our_ son, but you have Benny rub it in my face too?"

"I left Benny," Mimi announced. "Roger, I made a huge mistake. I came here so I could be with you. I'd rather spend my Christmases freezing my ass off that living with a bunch of rich snobs who treat all of my friends like shit."

"Aww!" Angel cooed. "Roger, take her back!"

Roger hesitated. His first thought was to make a comment about how he'd only met Angel a minute ago, but she had a point. "Fine," he said. "I missed you, Meems."

"I missed you too, baby." In Mimi's arms, Jonathan squirmed and yawned.

"So this is the little one?" Collins asked. He walked up to Mimi and rubbed the baby's head. "He's got his mothers eyes."

"What about his father's charming smile?" Roger asked. Everyone looked at Jonathan, who had drool falling from his mouth.

"Definitely his father's smile," Maureen teased. Roger hit her shoulder.

"The families together again," Collins said. He pulled all of them into a hug.

"This calls for another round of beer!" Angel chirped.

"_They're all back in time for Christmas Eve,_" Maureen sang. "_With a 'Merry Christmas, bitches!' and bag of weed. Back from dropping off the face of the earth, with some new people to meet._"

Roger wrapped his arms around Mimi and Jonathan. "_I fucked up and crossed the line,_" he sang. "_I swear that I won't fuck it up the next time. It'll be you and me and our adorable baby, and then we'll try to get some heat._"

"_My heart is beating with a pound and a pound from being in love,_" Collins sang, taking Angel's hands in his. "_Because I found my lover and I'll always cover you._"

"_Fuck you Mark and your film bomb_," Maureen shouted. "_I'll see Joanne in hell. At least we're coming..._"

Maureen, Roger, and Collins stood on the bar, chanting. "_Home. We're home for Christmas again. Home. We're home for Christmas again._"

Angel climbed up next to Collins. "_I nearly started dancing when I saw the other queers all around._"

Mimi handed Jonathan to Roger and joined the others. "_I'm choosing you again. I'll move out of Benny's, and then I will be..._"

"_Home,_" they sang. "_We're home for Christmas again. Home. We're home for Christmas again. Home. We're home for Christmas again. Home. We're home for Christmas again. Home. We're home for Christmas again. Home. We're home for Christmas again. Home. We're home for Christmas again. Home. We're home for Christmas again. Home. We're home for Christmas again._"

They all grabbed their beers and raised them in the air, chanting, "_Nobody loves you, but now that I'm with you, I should've been with you all along!_"

Mimi and Roger kissed Jonathan's forehead before kissing each other and drinking their beers.

Angel and Collins drank their beers before sharing a kiss and pressing their foreheads together.

And for once, Maureen was alone.


	21. What's-his-face

"December twenty-fourth, nine PM, Eastern Standard Time," Maureen narrated. "Over the past year, things have become much more different from I thought. No one's died yet - thank God! - and they're going strong. Jonathan's negative so far, but keep your fingers crossed folks. Mimi moved back in, and now that there's a baby, Benny's not going to deny us heat. Roger's finally got his songwriting in shape, but that didn't mean he couldn't get a job. He's a bartender at the Life Café, where I work too, as a waitress. It's a surprise we haven't been fired yet, trust me. Jonathan is now eighteen-months-old and as cute as can be! Whenever I can afford it, I spoil the hell out of that kid. Collins and Angel live here too, and they're _a little too loud at night!_ But they're perfect together. Collins got his old job at NYU. Angel is a street performer, and a helluva good one too! She could be a fashion designer. I'll see if she can make me a new dress or something. And me? I'm here. Alone."

"Mo, I know that you really miss you ex, but don't narrate everything like he used to," Roger pleaded as he played a C chord.

"I can't help it," Maureen whined.

"Sweetie, it's Christmas Eve," Angel said as she pranced into the main room. "Don't be down in the dumps." The drag queen sat down next to Roger on the couch.

"You guys don't understand," Maureen insisted.

"Don't understand what?" Mimi asked as she walked through the front door with Collins.

"Is she still hung up on that guy?" Collins groaned.

"Yes!" the diva cried. "And it's horrible!"

"Was the guy horrible?" Angel asked. "Did he hurt you?"

"Naw, that little nerd couldn't hurt a fly," Roger said. "He would always sit around with a camera and film everyone."

"What about Joanne?" Mimi inquired. "Whatever happened to her?"

"She dumped me a year ago," Maureen answered with a pout. "What happened? I used to be the girl who always got the boy - or girl - and now, I'm the one who's the witness. It's the end and I'm alone."

"Don't look at it that way," Collins said sympathetically. "You're the one who isn't tied down."

"Tied down?" Angel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I love you, Angel. You know what I mean. Maureen's a different case from us." He kissed her, and she accepted it as an apology.

"And the worst part is," Maureen said quietly, "I can't even remember his fucking name." She grabbed her leather jacket and stalked out of the loft. She runs up to the roof and stands near the end, staring out at the New York City skyline, the neon and chrome lighting up the night sky. She always wanted to venture out there. Maybe she would on New Years Eve. Maybe he would be there.

_How pathetic,_ she thought. _You poured your heart out into this relationship, and you can't even remember his name._

She looked down on the street and saw a figure walking under the streetlights that looked just like him. She was about to call out to him, until she realized he wouldn't respond if he didn't hear his own name. Besides, when she took a second glance, it wasn't even him.

"_I could've sworn you were walking down Avenue A,_" she sang. "_I would've spoken but I didn't know what to say. I remember he had something to with with videos. Maybe I'll remember with a song on the radio. I can barely imagine the good times that we shared. Now I wonder who what's-his-face had been._"

"You out here, sugar?" Angel asked as she came onto the roof with two glasses of wine in her hands. She smiled when she saw Maureen. "Good. I thought you took off to a bar or something."

"On Christmas?" Maureen let out a bitter laugh. "That'd be even more pathetic than I am now."

"Maureen, you're not pathetic," Angel said. "You're just dazed. You lost the man you love and you don't know what to do because of it."

"I treated him like shit," the diva said. "I cheated on him and continued denying it. I said that I loved him while I was with another woman."

"Maybe you really loved him, but you were trying to make it so you couldn't let im know how you really felt?" Angel suggested.

Maureen sighed. "_Did we have any hobbies that were the same?_" she sang. "_And who was that other whatsername? I remember he had something to do with videos. Maybe I'll remember with a song on the radio. I can barely imagine the good times that we shared. Now I wonder who what's-his-face had been._"

"Oh, honey," Angel said with a sigh. She felt bad for Maureen.

"It's my fault," she said. "Don't feel bad for me, please. I brought this upon myself."

"I didn't know you when all of this happened, but trust me, I know you weren't a bad guy."

Maureen walked across the roof, staring at the stars. "_Forget, regret, 525,000 minutes ago. Forget, regret, 525,000 minutes ago. My mind is full of regrets I can't forget. All I can remember is one little phrase. My mind is full of regrets I can't forget. All I can remember is No Day But Today._"

"_Day, day, day, day,_" Angel echoed. "_Day, day, day, day._" She handed Maureen a wine glass. The two clinked them together and drank them.

"_There's only us, there's only here,_" they sang together. "_Give in to love or live in fear. No other path, no other way._"

Maureen looked out at the city. "_No day but today._"


End file.
